Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
by Rogue Fifty-Two
Summary: Harry Potter may not be The Boy Who Lived, but the world isn't going to save itself, and it sure as hell could use all the help it needs, especially if Voldemort gets his hands on an ancient weapon from the Department of Mysteries that would guarantee his victory if he is allowed to return. Only this time, Harry may need help of his own - from some rather unorthodox allies.
1. The Department of Mysteries

**Have You Ever Seen The Rain?**

Taking influences from CBS' _Person of Interest_ but not being a crossover (no POI characters will feature and you do not have to have knowledge of the series at all to understand what's happening) _Have You Ever Seen the Rain?_ is a Wrong Boy Who Lived fic that attempts to avoid most of the clichés in the genre, and even if some characters may seem like they are being bashed at first, they will all have various different arcs that will change and develop over the course of this fic.

 **Chapter One: The Department of Mysteries**

Samuel Potter was not bored. He was given the highest duty that any Auror could possibly hope to want and he hadn't even finished Hogwarts yet. He was given the chance to walk inside the Department of Mysteries and guard its most sacred object. He was given the chance to do all of this at the age of fourteen, in the Summer before his fourth year. He checked his watch, one of the few muggle devices that he owned, wondering when his shift ended. He had to keep telling himself over and over again just how important his job was, how people would kill to sat where he sat… _he was not bored._

His father had pulled a few strings to get him some valuable Auror experience and given his reputation as the Boy Who Lived, Samuel was allowed to walk straight in. Of course, he had to go through extremely rigorous tests to prove that he wasn't under the Imperious curse, but none of that was necessary. He'd thrown off the curse before in his third year when Peter Pettigrew had used it to try and get him to kill Dumbledore. He'd even fought a basilisk and _won,_ and as far as he was aware, he was the only person to have ever done that and lived to tell the tale. The world was Samuel's to take and he had seized every opportunity that came his way. He was a proud Gryffindor, through and through and this was a brave, incredibly honourable task. If there was one thing he most certainly was not, it was bored.

Okay. Maybe only a little. He brought up his wand and began to move it through the air, with light trailing it like a firework on bonfire night. The Department of Mysteries was a very quiet place at the night shift, and everyone was home apart from him. Maybe he shouldn't have stayed up last night listening to old recordings of classic Quidditch matches with his best friend Ron Weasley, because not only was he bored, he had now started to yawn. _No._ He tried to imagine what would happen if his supervisor caught him dozed off, and there would be hell to pay. At least until his father arrived and smoothed things over.

He remained bored and disinterested in his current situation for a grand total of thirty-seven minutes and six seconds. And then he learned the old adage of 'being careful what you wish for', once again. He had wished for excitement, but not the kind of excitement that put him in a life or death situation. Just something _interesting._ "Who's there?" he said, hearing a noise just around the corner of a stack of shelves of forbidden artefacts. He brought his wand up, uttering " _Lumos,_ " quietly to bring light to a dark room.

There was predictably no response. If someone was there, and if someone had broken into the Department of Mysteries, after breaking past all its defences and the Ministry itself, they were not going to risk detection at the final stages. The whole idea of breaking into the Department of Mysteries was laughable in the first place, the only place more secure than the Department was probably Gringotts. Or maybe Azkaban. And of course, Hogwarts. But given Pettigrew's infiltration last year Samuel doubted that even Hogwarts was safe anymore, and if even Hogwarts wasn't safe anymore, that meant that these locations also risked being breached. After all, didn't someone try to steal the Philosopher's Stone in first year before it was moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts? That ruled Gringotts and Hogwarts off the list of safest places, and given Pettigrew's escape from Azkaban, that also ruled off Azkaban off that list. The Department of Mysteries was therefore the safest by default, and the only place that had not been broken into yet. And it would not be robbed under the watch of Samuel Potter.

He turned the corner and immediately found himself caught in the middle of a duel between two unknown figures on either side of the horizontal corridor at the end of the passageway. Different spells, he noticed a mixture of green and red, were being flung back and forth throughout the Department, and already he noticed that he was dealing with not one, but _two_ intruders, who had decided to either turn on each other in their quest for… for whatever it was they were here for, or whether they were from two different parties that had tried to breach the Department at the same time. Dodging a spell that came his way from a masked figure who poked their head around the corner, Samuel quickly noticed that the other one, whoever he was, was not wearing a mask but instead some form of suit, like he had come dressed for a ball. It would be easy to identify him once they got a proper look on who he was, but getting a look at his face would be more difficult than ever, especially in the dark, and especially with all the spells flying.

"You know," said the masked man. "It would have been so much simpler if you had decided to take the day off for a change. My Master might have even thanked you for not interfering. But alas, here you are. And therefore, punishment must be employed."

He didn't recognise the voice of the masked man, it was disorientated and no doubt sounded different to what it normally did. He wasn't sure for a second whether the man was referring to him or the other intruder, but one thing was clear to Samuel, the _Master_ part. He was a Death Eater, and therefore the enemy. _'I need to get out of here,_ ' Samuel thought, as another flurry of spells were sent back and forth at each other, with the Death Eater gaining ground on the unknown figure, who responded for the first time, "I'm afraid taking a break wasn't an option. But you can tell your Master that I send my regards." 

"I don't think he will take too kindly to you interfering again," said the man. "I cannot protect you forever."

"You're doing a great job of showing that."

"I am the only one who knows who you are," said the Death Eater. "However, if you interfere I cannot keep your identity secret from the Dark Lord much longer. He will demand to know." 

"Well like I said," said the man in the suit. "You can send him my regards. And I hate to bother you, but it looks like we have company."

"I'm fully aware of that," said the Death Eater. "Did you think I was firing spells to my left for fun?"

"I must admit had my suspicions," admitted the man in the suit, throwing another spell. "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"He's a witness," said the Death Eater. "There can be no witnesses. The Dark Lord was very clear."

"That also includes me, I guess."

"That would be correct," said The Death Eater. "Sorry, old friend. Are you sure I cannot talk you out of this?"

"I'm afraid that's impossible," said the man in the suit. "I can't let you kill the boy."

"You will have to choose," said the Death Eater, glancing across at another masked Death Eater that had appeared from nowhere at the end of the hallway, behind Samuel, fully cloaked and ready to fight. "Between the Boy and the Prize. You cannot stop two of us."

"I can try," said the man, and fired a spell towards the first Death Eater as the second one remained standing, silent, as if he was an observer of the conflict.

"Looks like even the great Man in the Suit can miss once in a while," the Death Eater said, having retreated back towards a bookshelf in full view of Samuel, who was currently hiding behind a chair, doing his best to keep an eye on both Death Eaters. He wondered again who the Man in the Suit was if he was here to protect both him and the artefact, or at least, if that was what he claimed.

The Man in the Suit didn't even look at the incident that he had just caused, as the bookshelf fell toppling over on his target, causing him to collapse beneath it. To Samuel it looked as though The Man in the Suit had known what was going to happen and had planned it, taking into account his surroundings in a way that Samuel had rarely seen used in battles between two magic users. He instantly recalled where he had heard the term _Man in the Suit_ before, the Daily Prophet. Reporter Rita Skeeter had run a page on reported sightings, that he was some kind of vigilante who protected innocent people from targeted threats. He was only a ghost story of course, but Samuel had for the first time, seen him in action. And now he was approaching him, the Boy Who Lived wanted to get a good look at his face an determine who he was. But he couldn't. Everytime he tried to look at the man's face he ended up diverting his eyes away to the background, to a wall. "Why can't I look at you?" was the first thing he said, awkwardly, and knowing that it wasn't the best possible word choice.

"Magic," said the man, and Samuel grimaced, figuring a vague response was about what he could have expected. "Now come on. We have to get you out of here."

"But the artefact," protested Samuel.

"I'll deal with that later, they still have to break the protective charms around it," said the Man in the Suit, blasting a hole through the bookshelf next to him as the Death Eater who was still standing turned and ran to the right. He dragged Samuel through the new hole that he had formed.

"You can't do that! That belongs to the Department of Mysteries!" 

"Standards at Hogwarts must have really slipped since my father's time," said the Man in the Suit, "Don't they teach the Reparo spell anymore?"

He didn't wait for Samuel to finish, but instead simply cast the spell and the bookshelves restored themselves. "Oh. Right. Sorry."

"Good, now this way," he said, blasting a couple more holes in the bookshelves as they headed away from the Death Eaters. Samuel kept glancing behind him as the man led the way, and he realised that the more he tried to look at the man, was just how young he was. He couldn't be more than nineteen or twenty, if in fact, he was a man at all. "We only have a couple more corridors to clear before we're out of the extraction zone, and then I'm going to get you to a safe house." 

"Shouldn't we alert the Aurors?"

"No need, besides, I know who these guys are, they're good, and don't hold anything back."

"They were just trying to hold back against you," said Samuel as they blasted through another bookshelf. He winced as the young man blew it apart. "He even said. Who is he, that Death Eater, anyway? Do I know him?"

"You could say that, yeah," he said. "But I can't tell you who he is. Sorry."

"Assuming you're not going to tell me who you are, either."

"That would be a no," he said. "I mean, after all. I do kind of like the secret identity thing. Ever heard of Batman?"

"No."

"Can't say you would have," said the man. "You people don't tend to read comics that much. He's a vigilante who dresses up as a bat and saves people."

"Why would you dress up as a bat?"

"Oh, it's a long story," said the young man. "He was basically afraid of bats when he was a kid so he decided to make his enemies afraid of bats as well."

"So what were you afraid of when you were younger? Suits?"

He chuckled, and then noticing that they were outside the anti-apparition zone, grabbed Samuel and vanished from thin air with him. A few seconds later he and Samuel appeared again in a locked room, with several stored bookshelves stretching back into the darkness. It was a fairly dark room and both of their visions remained obscured from view, "Hold on," said Samuel, suddenly sounding worried. "I know this room."

"Yeah, you do. This is the public library of the Ministry of Magic. Abandoned at night, and not very popular in the day. This will be perfect for you," said the man. "They wouldn't _dream_ of looking in here. Now. Stay where you are and whatever happens, don't leave this room. Give me five minutes and I'll have the artefact and we can be on our way."

"Um, okay. Right," Samuel said, glancing around the room as though he expected somebody else to be there, waiting for him. The man looked around as he did.

"What? You expecting someone to show up?"

"Not exactly, no," said Samuel.

"Okay. Right. You're scared. I get it," said the man. "Anyway. Like I said. I'll be right back."

Samuel nodded as the man vanished from view, taking his wand with him. Looking around the dark room he realised now that all he had to do was sit down and wait, and there was nothing else he could do but hope the man in the suit retrieved the artefact.

 **II.**

The two Death Eaters approached the swirling ball of mystical energy. One instantly leapt forward to touch the artefact positioned on a high point on an altar overlooking the rest of the bookshelves in the room, and now the same one who had merely been an observer to the exchange between the Man in the Suit and the leader was blasted back across the hall, sliding down the steps as though struck by lightning. "Fool," said the leader, "You need to disable the wards first, Avery."

"Won't happen again, Snape," Avery said, fixing his mask and climbing to his feet. "I can't believe that was actually him! The Man in the Suit! I never had the chance to meet him before. I mean, I heard the stories, but I didn't think they were _real._ Anyway. How are we going to disable the wards on this thing?"

"This artefact is protected by more wards than your small, simple brain could possibly even begin to comprehend, Avery," said Snape, "But we are fortunate. We have a friend in the Department of Mysteries. I know exactly how to untangle these wards. Every last one."

"Right," said Avery, rubbing his hands together, full of anticipating. "Let's do this. Disable the wards."

Snape nodded, and with one simple swish of his wand, the magical blue and yellow lights around the artefact began to unravel, vanishing into the abyss, causing the artefact to lose the bright glow that he had been surrounding it, keeping it hovering a few centimetres above the table. It dropped calmly into Snape's gloved hand, as he began to touch one of the most powerful artefacts that wizarding kind had ever seen.

And then the rest of the lights in the room were extinguished, plunging everything into darkness. "What the hell," Avery was the first to speak after casting the _Lumos_ spell, "Did we do that?"

"No," said Snape, drawing his own wand as a strange, unfamiliar sound began to echo throughout the room. "Be careful. We're not alone in here." 

"What's that sound?" Avery glanced up at Snape. "I don't recognise it."

"Oh, that's a lovely song," said the disorientated voice that Avery recognised earlier. "It's music, Avery. Haven't you heard a song before?"

Avery fired a killing curse in the direction that the sound was coming from, but the spell merely bounced off the wall, shot up to the ceiling before coming crashing down on the bookshelf below. "Where the hell are you?"

"Here," said a voice from behind him, and Avery turned in surprise to find the man in the suit standing directly behind him. He fired one simple stunning spell, and it was enough to take out the Death Eater, taking him out of the game. "You know Severus. You really shouldn't stoop yourself to this level. Next time, I actually want more of a challenge."

"You'll get one after this," said Snape, re-holstering his wand and looking directly across through his mask at the Man in the Suit. He wasn't going to fight the attacker despite their pretence earlier, they were on the same team after all. Snape just had appearances to keep up. But now that Samuel Potter had been removed from the scene and Avery had been knocked out cold, all pretence was gone. "I wouldn't be surprised if he ordered every Death Eater who wasn't already busy to take you down."

"Let them try," said The Man in the Suit, a smile in his face.

"One of these days they will catch up to you," said Snape. "Even you can't run forever."

"I know. Thanks for disabling the anti-Apparition wards for me."

Snape nodded in response. "You don't have much time. The Aurors will have realised something is up. Are you going to take the artefact?"

"Yes," The Man in the Suit said, and after a quick wave of his wand, created an exact duplicate of the real prize, and threw it to Snape, who caught it in his left hand. "Here. It's a fake. That should be enough to convince Voldemort that they've hidden it somewhere else."

Snape took it, not objecting to the man's claims. "You know. As much as we both despise him, sometimes you really are your father's son."

"I guess nobody gets to decide who their parents are," said Harry Potter with a shrug, turning around and walking away. "Oh by the way, the band is the Men Without Hats. Y'know, if they ever want to stop the song playing. I've put it on loop. Catchy, no?"

Snape realised how unlikely it was for any wizard to have heard of an obscure muggle band, and as much as he hated to admit it, he found himself admiring Potter's countermeasure. He decided to leave the wizards to a song that he figured out was called _Safety Dance,_ and vanished from view seconds after Potter himself, reluctantly forced to drag Avery along with him, all in the name of keeping up appearances as being a loyal follower of the Dark Lord. Before he left he of course remembered to do a Death Eater's duty and cast the Dark Mark in its place, reminding everyone that now that there was a break in to the Department of Mysteries, nowhere was safe anymore.

 **III.**

Harry Potter smiled at a job well done and returned to the Ministry's Public Library, eager to get home. Activating his radio-link, another muggle invention that he had employed for communications-use, he said, "It's done. I have the artefact."

"Good to see you got out okay," said Remus Lupin, responding over the other end of the microphone. "I was worried for a second there, Harry. I thought your luck might have finally run up."

"Who, me? Never," said Harry with a smile on his face, turning around and realising that he had arrived slightly further down the corridor than intended, seeing that a confused Samuel Potter was sitting on a chair right next to the door, having noticed his arrival and had begun to climb to his feet and advance towards him. But at the same time more pressing matters caused Harry to divert his attention away from Samuel, or perhaps more accurately, whoever was currently disguised as Samuel, because the real Samuel Potter was currently lying facedown, unconscious, and bound and gagged, with blood pouring out from his face, and it was clear right from the start that he had been tortured. He cursed, and said, "I should have seen this coming."

"Yes, you should have," said the familiar, taunting and almost baby-like voice of Bellatrix Lestrange, her polyjuice potion having expired as she walked towards him, revealing her full face and body that was now in a clothes size far too small for her. "You know, you have to admit, he did at least put up a fight. Itty-bitty Potter. Too bad. Daddy shouldn't have let him out of his depth."

Harry felt the wand pressed into his back. "I'll be taking that," said Lestrange, grabbing the artefact from his left hand, and pocketing it herself. "And as for you… I don't suppose you would mind telling me who you are? I've always wanted to know. I never could quite see your face."

"There's a reason for that," Harry said. "Have you ever tried being an actress, by the way? That was actually a pretty good performance. You got The Boy Who Lived pretty much spot on."

"Thanks for the career advice," Lestrange said, and Harry could tell she was smiling. "I'll bear that in mind if my Master's dreams of world conquest don't work out as well as they intended. Which of course, now that we have the Spear of Destiny… they should work out just fine. I mean. Have you heard of anyone ever being stopped in possession of the Spear before?"

"I can think of a couple of people," said Harry. "If the rumours are true, Hitler for one."

"Who?" Lestrange said, raising an eyebrow behind Harry, not recognising the name. "Never mind. I have the Spear. I have everything that I need. I should just kill you both right now, but… where's the fun in that? The sheep they keep sending to stop me all end up dead. I want a real competition next time we meet, a real _fight._ You think you can deliver that?"

"You can count on it."

"Good," Lestrange said. "Oh, and he's fine, by the way. Potty. In case you were wondering. I guess I'll leave you to do the explaining when you wake up."

Harry tried to turn around with his wand but was unable to stop Lestrange from firing a simple stunner into his back, knocking him out cold and blasting him across the room in a crumpled heap. Lestrange gave a cackle as she walked away, taking a leftover black umbrella from the lost property basket near the exit of the Library as she did so and putting it above her head despite the fact that she was indoors and it wasn't raining at all. Picking up on a phrase that she had overheard at one of her last formal gatherings that she used to attend, Bellatrix sang as though it were a nursey rhyme as she departed, "Oh oh, oh ho, as the saying goes. Don't let it be forgot… that once there was a spot… for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot. Oh oh, oh, ho. As the saying goes. Don't let it be forgot… that once there was a spot… for one brief shining moment that was known as _CAMELOT._ "

Anything that was left after the term _Camelot_ was obscured by a never-ending onslaught of cackling laughter that could only come from someone who was well and truly insane.

 **IV.**

It took Harry a grand total of twenty minutes to recover from the stunning spell and he came too, coughing and wheezing as though he had just recovered from a heart attack. He hurriedly activated his mic, and said, "Professor, we have a problem."

"I am fully aware of that. It looks like things as you would put it, have most certainly gone south."

"I don't need you to tell me that," said Harry, climbing to his feet. As he tried to stagger towards the door he felt himself blinded by a large burst of light cast in his direction from multiple forces, as he covered his eyes to mask the brightness, he said, "I might need a Plan B."

" _DROP YOUR WAND AND SURRENDER!"_ James Potter addressed his son, pointing his wand at him as though he was as evil as Voldemort himself. " _IN THE NAME OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC YOU ARE HEREBY PLACED UNDER ARREST!"_

 **TO BE CONTINUED.**

For clarification, Harry has just finished his fifth year and is about to start his sixth, putting him the same year as Diggory et al. More will be revealed as time progresses and I'll try to update every couple of weeks at the latest. Each chapter will be between 2,000 to 3,000 words and will incorporate elements like The Spear of Destiny and elements from various other mythologies, and although it will be set in the same year as the Triwizard Tournament there will be a lot more stuff going on behind the scenes as well. Harry's age in the first chapter is left deliberately vague as the Bellatrix!Samuel is trying to estimate how old he is, and in this he's someone who looks older than his years.

He's a bit more powerful than your average wizard, but as demonstrated by the fact that he got tricked by Bellatrix, he isn't completely all powerful.

For now, pairings are undecided but I'm likely to lean towards a Harry/Fleur or Harry/Tonks pairing if at all.


	2. Bonnie & Clyde

**Have you Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter 2: Bonnie & Clyde**

 **I.**

Acting on instinct, Harry hoped that the wards were still down and apparated away without saying another word, vanishing just as several stunners were fired in his direction. He found himself crashing into his room that he had rented under an alias in The Leaky Cauldron, and activated his communications link pretty much almost instantly, "Professor, we need to search everywhere for Bellatrix Lestrange. She has the Spear. If she's not already back at Voldemort's base that is."

"Harry. Relax. Calm down," said Lupin. "Take a deep breath. Voldemort is yet to regain corporal form. We still have time to find the Spear. What do you want me to do?"

"Search the nearby areas," said Harry. "The wards were disabled but they only allowed apparition a short distance away. She can't be far."

"Meanwhile, you have bigger problems at hand," said Lupin. "The Ministry. They think that you have stolen the Spear. They'll be after you."

"Nothing I can't handle," said Harry with a shrug. "It's Lestrange I'm worried about. She's good."

"Are you sure you don't want me to help?"

"No, I'm good," said Harry. "I need you where you are. Besides, after that injury that you sustained last time we went on an op together…"

"Of course, perhaps I spoke to soon," said Lupin, pulling up the security feeds of the nearby areas. It was something that Lupin was still trying to figure out what to use, and had only used the devices briefly, but they worked wonders at detecting people in the nearby area. It wasn't long before Harry got a response. "Okay, I've got her. Do you know the corner of Pullman-Leonard?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "It's outside that muggle club isn't it? What's wrong?"

"I haven't directly spotted her myself but I can see two dead bodies at the scene, and the door opening to the club," said Lupin. "It looks as though she has gone inside."

"Oh great," said Harry, grimacing. "Do me a favour, alert the police. I won't be too long."

"Don't you mean the Aurors?"

"No, I mean the muggle police," said Harry. "The feds, the cops, whatever. Call 999 and get them there."

"Consider it done," said Lupin, as Harry vanished from view inside the Leaky Cauldron.

 **II.**

James Potter desperately undid the ropes binding his son, and pulled him close, hugging him tight like he was more important than anything in the world. "Samuel! Are you okay?"

"'m fine, dad," he said, through broken teeth. "I… uh, didn't see any of it coming. It was all over so quickly."

"It's all my fault, don't worry," James said. "I should have left some more guards with you. You weren't ready. Look son. I need you to be brave, for me. Do you know anything about the person who attacked you?"

"No," said Samuel. "I don't, sorry. It was all dark. I remember a voice though. I think it was female."

"Female?" James said. "Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?"

"Positive," said Samuel.

"It doesn't add up," said James, glancing back at the youngest member of his squad and newly graduated Hogwarts student, Nymphadora Tonks. "You saw the Man in the Suit, right? He was there, right in front of us."

"Of course I did," Tonks said. "Maybe there was two of them? A man and a woman?" 

"That might have been it," said James, running his hand through his hair, exhausted. The years had not been kind to James Potter, and the stress of having to live with three children had shown it. "A man and a woman."

"So who are our Bonnie and Clyde, sir?" another member of his five-strong squad, a muggle-born, piped up with the reference, having just entered the room, and seeing the confused look at James, "Sorry. Never mind. Does your son know anything?"

"No, he doesn't," said James. "What worries me though is that this is the first time The Man in the Suit has started working with Death Eaters. He must have switched sides."

"Maybe someone got him with the Imperious curse?"

"Impossible," said James. "He's never been caught before. Even Moody couldn't land a hit on him." 

" _Moody._ Wait a second. _The_ Alastor Moody couldn't land a hit on him?" said the muggle-born.

"That's right. If he's turned then we're all in trouble," said James with a sigh. Samuel was now down on the floor, wiping blood from his face. "Anyway. Someone give me some good news."

"We have him!" said the familiar voice of Sirius Black, who was racing around the corner and clearly out of breath. "Prongs, Prongs my man. We have him. An off-duty auror spotted The Man in the Suit entering a muggle club three blocks away from the Leaky Cauldron. My theory is that he's registered under a room there, and went there and then to the club." 

"Good work, Sirius," said James. The codenames for most of the Marauders had become public knowledge long ago, and now they actively employed them on the field as the code-names for their Auror squad. There was Prongs. Padfoot. Dragon, Wolf. And there was Tonks, who insisted that she didn't have a codename under any circumstances. "Alright. Let's go and get him."

Sirius nodded at his best friend. "What about Samuel? Are you sure he'll be okay?"

"He'll be fine," said James. "Won't you, kid?"

"Yeah, I think so," said Samuel, sitting up straight. "Go get him for me, Dad."

"I will, son," said James, and sprinted out of the door. The Hunt was on.

 **III.**

It was carnage everywhere and one thing was clear was that Bellatrix Lestrange had not held anything back. Whilst most Death Eaters would be content with just the Spear of Destiny, one of the most powerful artefacts in all of human creation, Bellatrix Lestrange was not. She wanted to have a little more fun on the side, a few killings, Crucios here and there, who wouldn't notice the difference? After all, it was not as if The Dark Lord was around to tell anybody off.

Harry inspected the dead bodies of the young boy and girl, with looks of shock and surprise on their face, and closed their open eyes before advancing forward to the club. He didn't need to look hard for _The Elephant Lounge,_ because the screaming pretty much gave its location away. People were running for the exits and the sirens were not far away, and through the windows it was clear that the bright lights echoing away from the building were not coming from disco lights, but a mixture of green and red that could only mean one thing. The body count was rising. Harry said, "This is going to require one hell of a clean-up job."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before calling in the muggles, Harry," Lupin scolded him as he entered the building, pushing himself past the fleeing party-goers. "But don't worry. I'm on it."

"Oh, Man in the Suit, come out come out wherever you are," said Bellatrix, repeating her chant. She had a young blonde woman in a skirt pulled up close to her, and was holding the wand against her face. It was clear that the woman was terrified. "I know how much you love saving people. Come on. I'm bored. I want a rematch. Now, please, Mr. Suit."

"You couldn't wait, could you, Bellatrix," said Harry, disorientating his voice. "Don't worry. The police will be here soon. It's time to surrender. Hand over the Spear."

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that," she said.

"It's a fake," said Harry, lying through his teeth, edging closer to her, trying to come up with a story. "You know that, right?" 

Bellatrix let out a loud, cackling laugh. "Oh, come on. You don't expect me to fool for that, do you?"

"Well, Snape and Avery made off with one earlier," said Harry. "I just realised that this was the fake when I apparated back to the library. No wonder they were so cocky about it."

"You lie," said Bellatrix, hurling a killing curse centimetres above where she thought the voice was coming from. It struck a disco ball, sending the pieces smashing everywhere. "I'm going to kill this girl! Just you watch me!"

The girl squirmed, terrified, desperately trying to get out.

"Oh, where do you think you're going," said Bellatrix, looking down from the dancefloor position where she was situated. "No. I know what I'm going to do, girlie. I'm going to kill you with the Spear. Test how _real_ it truly is."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Bellatrix," warned Harry. "If you kill her, I'll put you down."

Bellatrix chuckled and sent an unforgivable curse hurling into the now empty crowd. Sirens could be heard from outside now, and the police had turned up. Were the Ministry of Magic less competent at wiping muggles minds this could spell the end of the isolation of wizards as they knew it, but thankfully, one thing that the Ministry was good at was clearing up loose ends. It was one of the first things that you learned in Auror training, the _Obliviate_ spell. A simple swish and flick and their memories of the last twenty-four hours were gone and they were on their way, none the wiser. "Oh, alright _then._ Very well. Come at me. I did say I wanted a fight."

Bellatrix shoved the girl aside and Harry saw his chance, diving forward as the girl scrambled to safety. They exchanged a flurry of spells back and forth as the dancefloor turned into a battleground, Harry was forced to time his spells accurately in order to get in and avoid Bellatrix's attacks. The Death Eater was laughing as she cursed him, and it was her who struck the first blow, sending him back across the floor. "How about this. Tell me your name, and I'll let you live."

"Sorry, can't do that," Harry said, ducking behind the bar, and finding himself soaked in alcohol once one of the bottles above him exploded, raining down glass on him which he quickly tided himself up with.

"I know where you are now," Bellatrix taunted and Harry could see her approaching. "I know where you are now, Mystery Man. There's no point in hiding. You think your muggle friends are coming to rescue you? I can stop them, just as easily as I can stop you."

"It's not the muggles who I'm counting on," said Harry, and suddenly found himself relieved by the sudden telltale signs of two full squads of Aurors arriving out of nowhere, wands blazing, and Bellatrix was instantly caught in the crossfire. Not having the time to react she was blasted across the room, the Spear of Destiny falling out of her hand and rolling down the steps.

It was one of the Aurors who lunged forward as soon as Bellatrix was taken down, claiming the Spear. "I've got it."

"Good, now take it back to the Department," this was from the leader of the other squad, Kingsley Shacklebolt, who outranked everyone in the room. "Spread out, search the room. Remember, we're still looking for our Clyde."

The _Bonnie and Clyde_ term that they'd used to refer to the two thieves who broke into the Department of Mysteries had stuck, despite the fact that Harry knew most of them had no idea where it had come from. He was kind of annoyed about this because both Bonnie and Clyde had been in a relationship and were both criminals on top of that, and he was most certainly not and never going to be in a relationship with Bellatrix Lestrange, but also he took pride in himself being better than your average criminal as well. "Well hello, my dear cousin," said Sirius, glancing down at the unconscious form of Bellatrix Lestrange even though he knew she could not hear him. "I was wondering when we'd get the chance to catch you. Okay. So that's one of them identified. Did we get a name back from the Leaky Cauldron yet?"

"We did, but we got back a Robert Louis-Stevenson, and that's no help to anyone," said one of the Aurors. Harry grimaced, knowing that it was likely to be on watch in case of his return. Thankfully he hadn't left anything of importance there.

"Why's that, Wolf?"

"Because Robert Louis-Stevenson has been dead since 1894, sir," said the man addressed as Wolf. Harry wondered whether it was Black or Potter that came up with the codename, they never were the most original after all. Had they got another werewolf in the team to replace The Professor? That would be the most obvious origin of that codename. "He's also a famous muggle writer."

"Oh," James said. "So, we're looking for a wizard who has read muggle fiction?"

"And not just any muggle fiction, the classics. I'm talking _Treasure Island_ here, Sir," Wolf said. "And Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They're like _the_ classic adventure stories in muggle fiction. Pretty much everyone's perception of pirates in the muggle world is derived from Treasure Island."

"And you're telling me this because, Wolf?"

"Just thought you'd out to know. It could be anyone," said Wolf. "Anyway. I'm just saying. We're not dealing with another Death Eater. The Man in the Suit's different."

"We know that. But he assisted the Death Eaters tonight and tried to kill my son, so he's the enemy," said James. Harry was still hiding behind the bar, being careful not to raise any attention whatsoever. He didn't want to risk apparition in case the Aurors had done their job and put up anti-apparition wards around the building already to prevent co-conspirators from escaping, which only allowed him to take one way out. He'd have to run.

"Maybe he tried to stop them," suggested Tonks. "The Death Eaters, I mean. He could have been trying to help Samuel."

"By tying him up and locking him in the library?"

"I'm saying he could have just found him at the same time that we did," said Tonks. "And he could have tried to stop Lestrange before we got here."

"Which begs the question," James said. "Where is he now? _Homenum Revelio_."

' _Not good,_ ' Harry thought.

"He's still in the room!" James called out moments later, glancing towards the three possible hiding places. "Okay, there's three spaces. Behind the bar. The toilets. And the balcony. I want three of you on each of them, and then Tonks and I will take the bar. Sirius, you take Lestrange to Azkaban. Get her in a cell before she wakes up."

"Azkaban? Can't you send some of the others to go? You know how much I hate that place."

"You're the only one apart from Kingsley who's been before," said James. "I don't want to send someone who doesn't know what the place is like. You've got to go."

"Fine, but you owe me some chocolate at the dinner party tomorrow evening," said Sirius, picking up the unconscious woman and vanishing from view. Ever since his name had been cleared from the attack on the Potter Manor House all those years ago, Sirius had become instrumental in the Auror Department and had earned the trust of even those most sceptical of his background.

"Yeah, sure," James said.

"Dinner party?" this was from Kingsley. "I wasn't informed about this."

"Sorry, sir," James said, with a scowl at his superior's tendency to want to know everything and anything. "It's my cousin's Birthday. We're holding a ball at my place. You lot are all welcome to come if you want, there's free drinks all round."

"Alright, let's fan out and take him down," said Kingsley.

Harry knew he had to work quickly to get out of there, and decided to employ some unorthodox measures in the form of a smoke-instigating spell, which instantly caused the fire alarms to start and water to pour down from above. In the chaos, Harry made a dash for the back exit, but was spotted by Tonks. "Hey! He's going this way!"

Tonks chased Harry out of the back door, being the furthest away from the explosion of smoke, and was able to pull ahead of James and Wolf who had been caught in the traps caused by multiple detonations at the same time. He made his way through the back-streets, leaping over fences as he did so, but fully aware that he was being followed all the time. Eventually he finally lost his tail when he rounded a corner onto a street which dipped underneath a train bridge.

"Professor, Professor, are you there?"

"I'm here. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. The Aurors have the Spear and Lestrange. I did what I could," said Harry, out of breath, looking around all the while. "Don't worry. They didn't identify who I was and we didn't end several hundred years of wizarding isolation, so we're good. Can you erase the footage on the security cameras of me entering the club and the spells? I don't think the wizards have realised that security cameras exist yet."

"I can do that," said Lupin. "Are you coming back to HQ?"

"I can't," said Harry. "Sorry. I've got a dinner party to prepare for and appearances to keep up. And you should be there as well, by the way. The Potters will be disappointed if you don't show up. My father's cousin still likes you, you know, despite what the public think."

"I'm not sure if I can manage it," said Lupin. "After last year, I mean."

"You'll be fine," said Harry. "Besides. I've got your back, right?"

Lupin chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. But no promises."

"You know you can't leave me there with all that high society stuff," said Harry. "I'll be bored by like the second speech. Someone's got to keep me interested. Assuming of course they let me out of my bedroom."

"They're going to have to, I'm afraid," said Lupin. "They have pretences to keep as much as you do."

"I guess you're right," Harry said, and without further ado, turned and apparated back to his bedroom in the middle of the night, collapsing on his bed after removing and hiding his suit. He had deliberately as an act of defiance against his family covered his room in as many muggle posters that he could get his hands on. There were a couple of Arsenal Football Club, a team from a sport that he had grown to love so much more than Quidditch, and a bunch of classic film posters, mostly Hitchcock movies, things like _Rear Window, Vertigo,_ but also other crime thrillers like _To Live and Die in L.A._ and _Mean Streets_ all filled the walls. Despite the fact that his mother was a muggleborn it was clear that she was very much part of wizarding society now and having seen all the benefits it had to offer, had no intention of going back. The final straw for her connection to the muggle world had been the severance of relationships with her sister, Petunia, who refused to take in Harry when they struggled to cope following Voldemort's attack. Harry was at least thankful that he had at least remained with his family rather than being sent out of the picture completely, because this at least meant that he wasn't constantly looking over his own shoulder at home all the time. Here they at least gave him some free space, whereas he imagined that growing up, his oaf of a cousin wouldn't have stopped pestering him.

It was time for him to get some sleep, he thought, hoping that he would be able to get through the big day ahead of him tomorrow without much in the way of difficulty.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

Thanks for all the reviews so far! I managed to get the second chapter up sooner than planned so here you go. Anyway, the next chapter will feature the birthday party for James' cousin. There will be a couple of OC's in this story as it's only natural with Harry being in sixth year as opposed to his regular year, but they won't be the main focus of this story.


	3. Everyone's A Winner

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Three: Every1's A Winner**

Harry Potter was used to wearing suits. He was used to doing so many things, including, unfortunately, formal celebrations for many of his father's extended family, which usually included cousins that he had never heard of. It was all for presentation of course, his father and mother were too busy focusing on both his younger brothers and sisters to notice him, and James was going around the room already at the early arrivals, including a few Ministry Officials and most of his Auror squad, boasting about his so-called "Pride and Joy," in the form of Samuel Potter, to anyone who'd listen. He would tell him about the stellar grades that Samuel got in his third year, despite being attacked by Peter Pettigrew and nearly kidnapped. He told stories of the defeat of the Basilisk, that were no doubt clearly exaggerated and disorientated beyond all measure that any resemblance of fact had long since gone.

There was a cough from behind him and Harry turned to see Professor Lupin, who he still addressed as _Professor,_ even though he was no longer a teacher after that unfortunate werewolf incident last year, and said, "Thanks for making it. I think a few people might think I was going crazy if I was standing here talking to myself. It's amazing how many of these people don't even know what a phone is, let alone an earpiece."

"I must admit I did not know that an earpiece existed up until the start of the Summer as well," Lupin said. "But thanks to you, Harry, I am far more knowledgeable on muggle culture. Though, tell me. What is the appeal of those films you keep sending over to me? The Tarantino one? I haven't seen anything quite as violent in my life. Particularly that torture scene. And I'm a werewolf."

"Hey, _Reservoir Dogs_ is a good movie," said Harry. "And besides, he's got a new one coming soon. October, I think? _Pulp Fiction._ Sometimes you need distractions like that. But you're right, maybe I shouldn't have thrown you in the deep end with Tarantino. Hitchcock, maybe, or Spielberg. _Indiana Jones_ sound good to you?"

"Ah, Moony!" it was Sirius who approached Lupin, before Harry could say anything, and looking down at the walking stick he was carrying he said, "You know there are charms that can heal your wound right? Have you not gone to St. Mungo's yet?"

"I would prefer to recover on my own. But thanks for the offer, Sirius," said Remus, no longer sharing the warmth with his friend that he used to. "I see you're enjoying yourself."

"Hey, relax, no need to be so uptight," said Sirius, glancing down at Harry. "Don't you have some chores to do or something? My friend and I are going to have some fun catching up to do, after all, we haven't spoken since what, the Christmas before last? Tell me, Moony, how did you spend your Summer?"

Harry decided to use this opportunity to excuse himself from the conversation, as Remus whispered a 'sorry' in his direction when Sirius wasn't paying attention. Sirius was right, he had been assigned chores to do. Lily still refused to employ House Elves to do the cleaning, believing that it was so-called slave labour, but that didn't stop her from using her children, namely Harry, to do the tasks for her when she couldn't do them herself due to work related duties. She was a member of the Department of Mysteries team after all but worked in a different department to the Spear, and was more of a person who would spend their time sitting behind desks as opposed to the field work which James excelled at. "Hey," Harry was interrupted from his climb up the stairs from Harper, the red-haired youngest daughter of the Potters, who was in her second year at Hogwarts, and like her brother, Samuel, she was also a Gryffindor. Maybe that was where Harry had gone wrong. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Harry said. Harper at least was friendly around him, and whilst Samuel and James weren't abusive, they flat out ignored him entirely most of the time. "Just thinking."

"Hey, I never asked. What's life like in Ravenclaw? Must be quieter than Gryffindor."

"It is," said Harry, who spent most of his time wondering the empty halls of the classroom alone. "Flitwick's nice, friendly. A bit less strict than McGonagall. He knows pretty much everything about the school. What about Gryffindor, then? Wait, let me guess. Loud, noisy. Lots of fights."

"Sometimes. Especially if we lose a Quidditch Match," said Harper. "I remember after Slytherin humiliated us two years ago. Wood got all the Quidditch team, Samuel included, to line-up against the wall and got the rest of us to hurl jinxes at them until they learnt their lesson. He's a fanatic. Thank God he's gone. I'm thinking of actually trying out now, this year. Why don't you for Ravenclaw?"

"Roger Davies won't let me on the team," said Harry, with a shrug. "Apparently I could be giving information to my brother. Is he that stupid that think the whole thing about us hating each other is actually a ruse?"

"He doesn't hate you, you know," said Harper. "Maybe if you actually talked to him you'd find out a bit more."

"Well that didn't stop him from trying to stop Weasley from trying to push me off the barricades at the end of last year," said Harry. Harper's eyebrows raised up at this.

"Oh, so that's why they're not speaking anymore!" Harper said. "I wondered why the Weasleys didn't get invited on the guest list this year. They're normally there."

"Wait, he actually did something about that?" Harry raised his eyebrow. _'Maybe there is hope after all.'_ "I guess miracles can happen."

"Whatever. You shouldn't put a lot of pressure on him. The Boy Who Lived Stuff is beginning to take his toll, y'know? All that pressure Dumbledore's putting on him. He could use a hand."

"We'll see, I guess. I'm kind of busy with stuff that I've got to do myself so I don't know if I'll be able to work it in or not," said Harry with a shrug. "Anyway. I guess they're probably wondering where you are, you should go."

"Yeah, maybe, see you around," Harper said with a shrug and headed off just as Harry heard a loud crash upstairs. Glancing around, surprised that nobody else apparently heard it and it didn't trigger any of the alarms, he decided to move upstairs to investigate, his hand cautiously on his wand as he ascended the stairs. It would do no good casting a spell to detect human presence here, it would bring up too many people downstairs and disorientate it as well, so he was going to have to do this the hard way.

"Is anyone there?" he called out, cautiously. A string of loud expletives followed, as someone was very annoyed that he had just been discovered. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but this house has several leading members of the Ministry of Magic currently downstairs plus The Boy Who Lived and very soon Albus Dumbledore according to the rumour mill. I suggest you stop what you're doing, because you're outgunned, as well as outnumbered."

"Well if it ain't Harry Potter," a familiar voice that Harry recognised all too well was heard from around the corner, as Harry advanced cautiously forward into the spare room to find Mundungus Fletcher, who didn't even look the least bit guilty about trying to break into the Potter's safe. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Dung. I take it times have been tough lately? That you're robbing my parents' house while they're still inside?"

"Who, me? I would never dream of doing such a thing," said Mundungus. "Never ever, sir. I hear whispers, you see. I hear things. I know how much your parents don't care about you. If I say you were trying to steal these trophies, they'd believe me. It'd be my word over yours."

"Actually, I don't care that much that you're stealing the trophies," Harry said, an idea coming to him. "It's my parent's fault that they're not in Gringotts. _But_ what I do have for you is something interesting. Call it an offer."

"You've grown up fast, kid. I'll give you that. You shouldn't be making deals with so-called _undesirables_ like me," he said, going to light his cigar. "Do you mind?"

"No. It's a free country."

"So what sort of deal? What're we looking at?"

"I let you take the trophies," said Harry, shrugging. "And I don't go running straight to Dumbledore. Now, I don't know about my parents, but Dumbledore? He'd believe me. And Lupin, too. Now, they might not take my word… but Dumbledore's and Lupin's? They most certainly would."

"Guess you got me there," said Mundungus, chuckling. "Fine, I'll play this little game. In exchange for some trophies that I could sell for quite a fortune, you know. Under the table. Strictly legal, off the books records. What are you going to give me?"

"Information," said Harry. "Everybody knows you've got contacts within the Death Eaters. I want to know what they're doing. What their plans are."

"Since when did you care? Besides, that's a suicide mission. I won't be able to find out anything important."

"I don't need to know _everything,_ " said Harry. "Just you know. Target the lower-ranks. The outliers. If they don't know the exact details of when something big's going down they'll know at least that something big's going down. And maybe they'll start asking questions themselves, and maybe… they aren't going to keep their tongues as tight as the inner circle. Especially after a few butterbeers."

"That's an awful lot of maybe's, kid," said Mundungus with a shrug. "It's too risky."

Harry glanced down the stairs, and cupped two hands around his mouth and prepared to shout.

" _Fine,_ fine, alright, I'll do it. Since when were you so interested in this stuff anyway?"

Harry moved his hands away from his lips, relieved to see that the overly theatrical gesture had worked. "Don't tell anyone, but I know the Man in the Suit. He's got me linked up. And besides, as an added incentive, maybe, the next time I speak to him, he might stop telling the Aurors of any illegal trading deals going on areas where you have been known to conduct your business."

"You'd do all that for information? You must be pretty desperate," said Mundungus. "The stuff that I sell ain't exactly legal. Some of it could be going to You-Know-Who's men. I mean. Not that I'd know about it if it were, you understand."

"Of course," Harry, holding out his hand, thankful that he had just accepted the information about him knowing The Man in the Suit without questioning it. Mundungus held out his, and the two shook on it. "By the way, the passcode is _Home._ Not _Flower._ "

"Damn. Thought I was right this time. Y'know. Both of the sisters are named after flowers," said Mundungus, with a shrug, carefully reorganizing the combination of the letters with his wand.

"Oh, and remember to close it back up again as well," said Harry with a shrug. "Otherwise the alarms will go off. And after that you'll be safe, because they never open that safe."

"Why's that?"

"I changed the password," said Harry, with a smile, as just before heading back downstairs, he stuck his head back around the corner and said, "You were originally right, by the way. It was flowers."

Mundungus simply stood there, disgruntled and annoyed that he'd been caught out. "One more thing, kid? How do we keep in touch?"

"You know those big red boxes on muggle streets? Ones with telephones in them?"

"Yeah. I ain't stupid," said Mundungus. "I know what they are. What. You want me to call you through one of those?"

"Exactly."

"What's the number?"

"Zero, Five, Seven Nine _,_ " said Harry, knowing full well that most muggle landlines were longer than that. "Can you remember those?"

"Of course," said Mundungus, with a shrug, greedily inspecting his newest possessions. "A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded, and headed back downstairs, leaving Mundungus Fletcher to his new possessions. On his way back down however, he almost bumped into his father, who was looking at the time-piece on the chest of draws, and brushing back his hair, which was beginning to start getting increasingly more grey, out of his eyes. He hadn't heard the conversation that had taken place, Harry was sure of that, he knew his father's expressions well enough and this was not one of them. "So," said James, in a commanding voice of authority. "I think I should consider it an accomplishment that you made it to sixth year without getting yourself expelled, or killed. Congratulations."

Harry didn't respond, waiting to see where this line of discussion was going. His father was clearly about to walk out into the living room to give a speech, with several people anxiously looking down the hallway, waiting for his arrival. "I have two things I'm about to tell you. Number One. Tomorrow, my family and I are going to the Quidditch World Cup Final as special guests. Unfortunately, I was able to only secure four tickets, so you will not be invited. We then plan to spend the rest of term with Sirius, as to which, due to the simple lack of room inside Grimmauld Place, we cannot take you along with us. Therefore, you will be forced to remain here."

Harry knew the amount of space in Grimmauld Place was large enough to accommodate the entire Order of the Phoenix if Sirius so wished, so it was pretty clear that this was obviously just an incentive to spend as much time away from Harry as possible. "Furthermore," added James. "I have been informed by your mother to tell you that this year Hogwarts his hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I know that you are of legal age to enter, and going by the rules of the tournament, I have no legal grounds to stop you from entering the tournament."

He paused. " _But._ Know this. Should you choose to enter the Tournament, and by some miracle, you are decided to become the representative of Hogwarts, understand this. Your name will be struck from the family tree of House Potter for eternity. We cannot afford any potential embarrassment for our family name, so do not volunteer thinking this will earn you any kind of _respect,_ or support from us. You will be an outcast with no surname, no inheritance and no future. This is the only time I am going to tell you this, so please. Try not to forget it."

Harry again, offered no response. He merely shrugged, and in his head, ideas began to form. The Tri-Wizard Tournament opened up all sorts of possibilities, especially given that Hogwarts had not held one in years. "If you do not enter the Tri-Wizard Tournament, or if you enter but are not chosen," said James, "You will remain on the family tree. You will be given an inheritance and enough money to start a new life away from here. But regardless of what happens, at the end of this year, do not expect to be welcomed back to this household. We have sheltered you long enough."

"I guess this is it then," said Harry, knowing that now, whatever choice he took, this would probably be the last Summer that he spent in his childhood home.

"Yes," said James. "I'm glad you understand. If you have any sense, you will proceed the latter path. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a speech to make."

Harry nodded, realising for the first time how tightly he was gripping the bannister on the staircase. He turned around, and couldn't help but feel frustrated. He should have known something like this was coming, especially after all the hushed whispers his parents resorted to when he entered the room, but to pull this on him, out of nowhere? At least he had time to prepare, and he wondered for a brief moment, where he was going to go next. What he was going to do. "Did you get all that?"

"I did," said Lupin's said, into his earpiece. Harry could hear the loud sounds of applause in the background, disorientated on the communications device. He himself was now in his room, having slammed the door behind him with more anger than he expected. "I just heard myself most of it from Sirius, who noticed we seemed to be getting a little too friendly. For what it's worth, I'm sorry, Harry. I thought they were better than this. That this was beneath them."

"I did, too," said Harry, realising how much unnecessary attention it would bring to them if another son, someone who wasn't The Boy Who Lived, and someone who had been kept out of the media spotlight since the incident, suddenly decided to step into the fray. It would be chaos. He could certainly see why his parents wanted to distance themselves from his involvement. It would also raise questions, people would want to know why he was kept secret. "Well, I have to say. The Tri-wizard tournament. This year is certainly going to be an interesting one, to say the least."

"I suppose it's too early for you to decide, but…" Lupin said, "Do you have any idea about what you're going to do? Are you going to enter or play it safe? I will support your actions either way, of course."

"I don't know yet," said Harry, after a sigh. "That's actually something that's really exciting, about this. The whole thing. I don't know."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

Next: Harry goes to Diagon Alley, and meets Tonks.

I still remain undecided on the direction of the pairing and it is likely that Harry will interact with both Tonks and Fleur over the course of this story as from my early plans both will play a fairly big role regardless of what happens even if there is a pairing at all. For now, it was important to introduce some of the Potters, particularly the sibling who we haven't met yet, Harper, who will like Samuel, have her own character arc in this fic.

A few casting ideas for OC's and non-canon version of characters can be found here. The older James is played by Hugh Laurie ( _House/The Night Manager_ ), Walton Goggins ( _Justified/The Hateful Eight_ ) plays Mundungus Fletcher and Millie Bobbie Brown ( _Stranger Things_ ) plays Harper. As usual, any thoughts and comments are appreciated.


	4. Happy Jack

**Have You Ever Seen The Rain**

 **Chapter Four:** _ **Happy Jack**_

 **I**

It was raining in Diagon Alley when Harry Potter arrived on the afternoon of the Quidditch World Cup final, and as expected, it was empty, with no crowd in sight, as pretty much everyone found themselves in a field getting ready for the big game between Ireland and Bulgaria. Quidditch was something that Harry never understood the hype about, what was the fun in turning up for a game that could be over in a matter of minutes if the seeker was a good one? He preferred to spend his weekends either in the library or attending some of the muggle sports in the local area, depending on what was available. He decided to beat the rush for his supplies for the year, having received the list the day his family left him, and without saying a word, had promptly headed off on his own path knowing that this would be the last few weeks inside the Potter Household.

He had to be careful about booking himself back into his old bedroom that he had hired at the Leaky Cauldron but had planned to spend the night there, under his real name. No sense to hide himself this time after all, it was highly unlikely that The Man in the Suit would operate on the same day that Harry Potter came to Diagon Alley, it would be far too much of a coincidence and coincidences were something that Harry liked to avoid. "Huh," he said, approaching a fairly new shop that looked to the be the busiest, only by the fact that there seemed to be a couple more people inside than anyone else and entered it, rather amused to find himself in a record shop, something that he hadn't expected to find in Diagon Alley, of all places. Instantly he recognised the former beater of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, Jason Samuels, sat across from him at the table, serving a customer. Jason had been a friend of Harry's for a brief amount of time before he left the school, when they both discovered that they shared a mutual interest in muggle items. Harry addressed him directly once the customer had left the store. "Jason! How're you doing?"

"Not too bad, actually," said Jason. "Well if it ain't Harry Potter."

Harry chuckled, fully aware that Mundungus Fletcher had used the same term to address him yesterday. "Is this how you address everyone in Ireland?" 

"I'm only Irish on my mother's side," explained Jason with a shrug. "I got the idea for this from her cousin by the way. I noticed. What's the one _good_ thing that the wizarding world lacks?"

"Common sense?"

"Well, that too, but. _But,_ " said Jason. "Music, Harry. Music. Name me five good wizarding Bands."

"Um. I don't know. I don't pay that much attention to that stuff," said Harry with a shrug.

" _Exactly,_ " said Jason. "Now. Five good muggle ones. Or artists. Whatever."

"Easy," said Harry. "Nick Cave. Bowie. The Cure. The Who. I could go on. And y'know, The Delfonics, I guess." 

"The Delfonics? Really?" Jason said, raising an eyebrow at Harry, who shrugged. "Okay, fine. But my point right, it should be pretty simple. Muggle music is better than wizarding music."

"Of course. So you're selling muggle music to wizards?"

"Yeah. At a raised cost. See, they don't know the difference," said Jason. "Most of them walk in here and assume these are wizard bands because I put a wand wearing a hat on the logo. You'll never guess how many Purebloods start listening to Nina Simone under the assumption she was a witch."

"Nice idea," said Harry, glancing over the collection. "Where'd you get all of these from?"

"Second hand stores, mostly," said Jason. "CDs. Vinyls. I can repair some of them using magic, sell them off as new. Again, seeing as they've never seen the original product, they don't notice the difference."

"That's actually a pretty smart idea. And certainly a cunning one. Remind me again why you weren't a Slytherin?"

"Slytherin had a reputation," said Jason. "And besides. People are a lot less likely to look twice at you when you're in Ravenclaw, as I'm sure you're fully aware of."

"What if a muggle born walks in here though?" Harry asked. "You might have some explaining to do."

"They don't really care," said Jason with a shrug. "Most of the time they're just relieved to see something familiar. Anyway, take anything you want, mate. It's on the house."

"You're kidding, right?"

"After you saved my life from the Basilisk a couple of years ago? Oh, please. It's the least I could do," said Jason. "So. Hogwarts this year, right? I hear whispers. Triwizard Tournament. You entering?"

"I don't know yet," said Harry with a shrug. "Way I see it, I've got two options. Either I enter and become a representative of Hogwarts, and be struck from the Potter family tree. Or either I don't enter, and leave my family at the end of the year still on the tree and with a little bit extra cash. Probably enough to buy a house, at least."

"Wait, hold on a second. They're actually talking about banishing you? From the family?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Apparently, I could cause them all sorts of unwanted attention. It's bollocks, either way. But. I don't know. I do kind of like having a surname. Imagine being _Just_ Harry."

"Well, Sirius Black got to keep his surname," said Jason. "And he seems to be doing pretty well for himself. Besides. You can always come and work here if you need the extra job."

"Thanks for the offer," said Harry, "I'll consider it though. Anyway. I guess business is pretty dead, right?"

"Yeah," said Jason. "Although, oh look. We appear to have a customer."

Harry turned around to look in the direction of where Jason was staring. Nymphadora Tonks had just entered the room, the woman who had just finished Hogwarts last year, and had almost knocked over the stand of CDs by the doorway. "Sorry," she said, apologising. Harry briefly wondered what she was doing here and panic gripped him when he realised that she could have been investigating him but she didn't appear to have a wand drawn, and had just come into the shop to get out of the rain. "Hey. How's it going?"

"Afternoon, Tonks," said Jason, smiling at her. "How're things? Haven't spoken to you since Hogwarts."

"Tell me about it," Tonks said. "Anyway. I came in here, to uh, get out of the rain I guess. Looks like you got a permit for that shop that you always talked about."

"Yeah," said Jason. "Guess I did. Hey, how come you're not at the World Cup? I thought that was where most of the Aurors would be today."

"Yeah, most of them," said Tonks, dejected. "Unfortunately, The Man in the Suit got away under my watch so James Potter made me spend the day patrolling Diagon Alley instead. He's an absolute-"

She stopped from saying anything further, realising that Harry was in the room. He noticed the silence and said, "Oh, carry on. I don't care that much for him either."

"Really? I thought you Potters were one of the good ones," said Tonks. "I mean. James is an arsehole, sure, but from what I remember of Lily, she seemed nice."

"Not to me," said Harry, with a shrug. "Doesn't really matter anyway. End of term I'm gone."

Tonks noticed that he was standing there, flicking through several CDs. "Do I want to know the history there?"

"Not really," said Harry. "It's kind of long, drawn out family drama. They hate me, I hate them, that's about all you really need to know. My sister's alright though, Harper. I'm not quite sure about Sam."

"Oh come on, out of all the people," Tonks said. "The one you have doubts about is Samuel Potter. Didn't you hear the other day? He got fast-tracked through the work experience team thanks to his daddy's connections, and ended up on the night shift guarding the Department of Mysteries. I've been training non-stop since I left Hogwarts for that position and he waltzes in there and gets it in a day. And then he screws it up and I get the blame."

"I guess that's fair," Harry said, glancing across at Jason. "Anyway. So. World Cup. Any bets on the winner? I mean, I don't care for Quidditch, but why the hell not?"

"You don't care for Quidditch," said Tonks with a scowl. " _You don't care for Quidditch_? Are you sure you're a son of James Potter?"

"Sometimes I keep asking myself the very same question," said Harry. "But Football. 100 times more exciting. I mean, sure, you get the odd dud here and there. Anyway. Bets. Ireland vs…. Bulgaria. How'd that sound? I was expecting people like Brazil or Germany to be up there."

"Hah. _Germany_ haven't had a good team in years," said Tonks. "And Brazil aren't that great. Sorry. Football doesn't translate across well to Quidditch."

"Yeah, I gathered that," said Harry. "Bulgaria to win on penalties?"

"You're just trying to annoy me though," scowled Tonks.

"Hey, I'll make it up to you," said Harry.

"Oh? Really? How do you propose to do that, Mr. Potter?"

"Ice cream," he said with a shrug, glancing back at Jason. "You can come too if you want."

"Ice cream? Are you serious? But It's raining."

"There's never a bad time for ice cream," said Harry, and Tonks smiled. "Come on. I'll pay."

"Shouldn't you be interested in saving up your money?" Jason asked. "I mean, given you're going to be blacklisted at the end of the year?"

"They'll probably just take most of it away come the end," said Harry with a shrug. "So, unless I find out I'm related to some ancient bloodline, like maybe King Arthur's or Gryffindor's or some bollocks like that, which is near enough impossible considering we've already done my inheritance tests and the closest person I'm related to of any note is… hell, nobody, I'm going to be broke by the end of the year and have no way of transferring my money. So I might as well spend it while I've got it, you know? Besides, why are you complaining? It isn't your money."

"I guess you've got a point," said Jason with a grin. "I guess I can close early. Ice cream it is."

 **II.**

"Ah, Harry Potter," said Florean Fortescue as the group entered the small, tavern-esque room that was used for the inside quarters. "I haven't seen you in a while. I wondered if you might have been ill, but it's good to see you here. And with friends?"

"Hey, my social circle is actually not that bad," said Harry, looking over at the old man. "I mean. There's about four people there. Plus, you. That's got to count for something, right?"

"You know, when you count your ice cream seller as part as your social circle, it generally isn't a good sign," said Florean. "And if it isn't Jason Samuels and Nymphadora Tonks. I must say, it isn't often that I see you two here anymore. How's your shop going, Jason?"

"Not bad," he said. "I mean, business is slow. Everyone's at the Quidditch World Cup. So I thought I'd close early. How're you?"

"Slow, as can be expected. But surviving," he said. "It won't be long before Hogwarts students come looking for supplies. It'll peak up then, I reckon. Getting yours in early this year Harry?"

"Looks that way," he said, nodding as Florean prepared to serve him, already knowing his order and taking ones from Jason and Tonks at the same time. Once they'd taken their Ice Creams, Harry sat down opposite the two. "So. I'm assuming you're still on duty?"

"Yeah," said Tonks as Harry glanced over at the couple sitting on the side of the room. He could, thanks to an enhanced bug that had been supplied by Remus as part of their latest technology acquisitions, make out what they were saying. "Why?"

"Because I think we might need it."

"You know honey, I think we picked a bad time to become criminals _,_ " the woman was saying. "Your whole idea about robbing restaurants as opposed to banks.I applaud the initiative, but really, did you have to pick something that was a) an ice cream parlour, and b) decide to rob it on _the_ day of the Quidditch World Cup?" 

"Hey, they have customers now," the man responded. "Look. And that one's a Potter. I bet he's got plenty of Galleons we can steal. Come on. It'll be fun. Nice and easy. I mean, how much fight can they possibly put up? That Potter boy got his arse whipped by a Death Eater the other day and I bet this one ain't much of a fight either. So come on honey, let's go and do it!"

"Let's do it, yeah!" said the woman, and without further ado, full of confidence, leapt up and shouted "Expelliarmus" as loud she could, taking the three friends by surprise, the blast quickly, when combined with the spell of her husband's, sent Harry, Tonks and Jason scrambling backwards as the combined forces of their spells caught them off guard. "Alright, would everybody put their hands in the air, this is a stuck-up!"

" _Stick-up,_ " said the man, rolling his eyes. "Honey, it's a stick up. It's how they say it in the movies."

 _'Muggleborn,_ ' realised Harry, glancing over to Tonks and Jason. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," said Jason, scrambling behind a table. "I'm fine. Tonks?"

"Good," she said. "What do they think these guys are playing at? It's two on four."

"I don't know, maybe they thought we wouldn't be expecting an attack," said Harry, and then spoke into his communications link. " _Professor, are you there?"_

" _I'm here_ ," Remus Lupin said, " _I'm just about to arrive at James' tent though before the game. I'm sorry, Harry – he insisted that I came with him."_

" _No worries,"_ Harry said. " _Anyway, we have a more immediate problem. A couple of Bonnie and Clyde wannabes just shot up Fortescue's_. _And I'm inside."  
_

" _Surely that should not pose too much of a problem for you?"_

 _"Yes, but I'm not alone,_ " Harry said. " _I have Tonks and a friend from Hogwarts here. Jason Samuels, former Ravenclaw._ "

" _I think I remember him,_ " said Lupin. " _Anyway. Can you distract them?"_

" _I don't think that'll be an option. Tonks is trying to bust me for the Man in the Suit, by the way. I can't do anything that'd make her think I'm him."_

" _She's an Auror you know, perfectly capable of handling this matter herself,_ " suggested Lupin. " _You could always play the victim._ "

" _Now,_ _what could possibly go wrong with that?"_ said Harry, but before he could respond, he was cut off by Tonks.

"You alright there Harry?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry said deciding to play his part of the victim, suddenly switching to giving his best impression of a terrified person. "Although, actually. I'm kind of scared. Like really scared. I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen."

"Nobody was," said Tonks, and called out, "Hey! You two! What's your name's?"

"Don't answer her Tasha!" shouted the husband, before swearing once he realised what he'd done. "Damn. I mean, uh, Don't answer her, Jo!"

"My name's not _Jo,_ you idiot," said the woman.

"No, it's obviously not, I'm just saying that so they don't think it's Natasha!" said the man. "And now I've gone and blown it again."

"Honestly, Mark, you really are useless sometimes," said Natasha, rolling her eyes. "Oh no."

"Ah, Mark and Natasha, nice to meet you! I'm Tonks!" Tonks called out, as though she wasn't under attack. "Now, here's what's going to happen. It's coming to the end of a pretty long day and I'm sure we'd all rather be elsewhere, right? So maybe we can work something out? If we both put our wands down everyone can walk out of this shop unhurt, and we can forget about arresting you! How does that sound?"

"Sorry, but the only way you're walking out of here is without your money," said the one addressed as Mark. "And I reckon out of the most of you, Potter's got the most on him. So, how about this. You send him over, unarmed. No wand. All he has to do is give you his money. And then we can let you live."

"I'll do it," said Harry after a pause, trying to act afraid but confident at the same time, in an expression that wasn't really working out as well as he could have intended. His acting skills had never been particularly great, after all. "I mean. I don't have much on me, Mark. Fifteen Galleons maybe max?"

"Damn," said Mark. "I told you honey, we'd be much better off robbing muggle stores."

"But they don't have Galleons, do they, Mark? You try getting the Goblins to accept stolen money!"

"Um, Natasha, this is also stolen money, in case you haven't realised!"

"Yes, but they won't notice it's stolen if it's Galleons," insisted the woman, not sure if her belief was correct. "Hey. Tonks. Do you know if Goblins accepted stolen money?"

"I don't," she said. "Sorry. I've never handed anything over to the bank before that's been stolen. But I imagine they've got a big lie detector, and they'll know when something's been nicked. Muggle or magical. Big lie detector being of course, a technical term."

"Oh, please, Natasha, just listen to them," said Mark, grimacing. "What if we go to the bank and they bust us there?"

"I don't know," said Natasha. "Oh, hell. Screw it. This place isn't worth robbing anyway."

"See? I knew we could come to some sort of deal. Now, do you understand the situation? You'll go your way, and I'll go mine," said Tonks, glancing back to Harry, she whispered, "Probably best that we let them go. Nobody's going to believe that they're stupid enough to try and rob an ice cream parlour in the first place."

"Are you sure they're not going to rob somewhere else later?"

"Well put it this way. If they can't rob an ice cream store what chances do you reckon they have against something bigger?" said Tonks, with a grin. "Alright. Here's how it's going to work. You'll walk out of here, not firing any spells, and we won't send any back. Deal?"

"Deal," said Natasha, and began to walk forward. The blonde-haired woman was well dressed for a criminal, looking like someone that Harry would expect to find in one of his father's family gatherings as opposed to a situation like this. His suspicions were alerted however when she walked slightly a bit too close to him on his way out, and before he could react, grabbed Harry and pinned her wand to his chest. "Sorry." 

"Oh, come on," Tonks said, as Harry squirmed beneath Natasha's grip. Or at least pretended to, he knew he could fully overpower her within seconds, but did not want to raise suspicion. After all, there were not that many wizards who were good at hand-to-hand combat and even if he did take Natasha down, this would be an instant alarm bell raised for Tonks. "What happened to the deal?"

"Changed my mind," said Natasha. "Now, Potter. You're going to give me the money and me and my husband will walk out of here and we'll never see each other again."

"Fine, just… just don't hurt me," Harry attempted to sound weak and afraid. "It's in my left pocket."  
Natasha felt into his left pocket, and withdrew his money pouch. "Thank you for your collaboration, Mr. Potter. Much appreciated. Oh, and you know what you said about me not hurting you? That bit's technically true. Your friends however…"

Natasha yelled a spell at the surprised Jason who was blasted back across the room before he could react, crashing into a stairwell. Instantly, Harry reacted to seeing his friend hurt and elbowed her in the stomach, causing her to stagger back into the counter where Harry was able to instantly smash a glass bowl on her head, and she collapsed to the floor. This caused her husband to instantly react, blasting a spell at Harry which he quickly countered before Tonks fired a stunning spell in his direction, sending Mark blasting back unconscious across the table. With the threats dealt with for now, Harry rushed over to Jason, who was suffering from a head injury when he had collided with the stairwell. "Hey, Jason, you alright?"

"I'll be fine," he said after a pause, wincing. "Just hurts a bit. Okay. A lot."

"We should probably get you to Saint Mungo's just to be sure," said Harry. "See if they can check you out. Tonks, are you okay taking these two back to the Ministry?"

"Of course," said Tonks, as Harry wondered why she was starting to adopt a slightly different tact with Harry now, starting to treat him seriously. Had he strayed out of character? Or had Tonks realised it was all an act? Or maybe something of both?

"I'll help," said Florean, emerging out from underneath the bar. "After all, I think it's safe to say I'm not going to be getting many more customers today."

"Thanks, Florean," said Harry, helping Jason to his feet. "Sorry about the mess."

"No problem at all, my young friend," said Florean, waving his wand to repair the damage to the room. "Just make sure Jason here gets to safety."

"I will," said Harry, throwing the store owner some Galleons from his coin pouch, "Alright, Jason, I'm going to take you along with me. Side along Apparition. Can you do that?"

"Sure," said Jason, using a table as support. "Let's do this."

Harry nodded at Tonks, who was using a wand to create stretchers for both the unconscious Natasha and Mark. She smiled back, and waved cheerfully as Harry and Jason vanished from view, leaving Tonks to debate what she had just seen. Apparition wasn't something that somebody normally learned until Sixth Year, and given that Harry was smart enough to use it already, that instantly began to raise suspicions for the young Auror about the identity of The Man in the Suit, especially when combined with his knowledge of muggle combat methods. Although she was thankful for the assist that Harry provided in taking down the thieves, it was certainly something that she would have to keep an eye out for in the future. And if The Man in the Suit was ever sighted at Hogwarts in the coming year, Tonks reflected that she might just had to make him her primary suspect.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

So, we have a restaurant robbery scene inspired by _Pulp Fiction_ and Tonks is already suspicious about the identity of The Man in the Suit. Of course, it's currently 1994 in the Harry Potter timeline, the same year of that movie's release. Also, Jason Samuels is technically a canon character and was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team at some point in the books according to the Harry Potter Wikipedia, but not much else is known about him so I decided to put him in there as a former Hogwarts student. Here he's played by _Sing Street_ 's Jack Reynor, whilst Florean Fortescue is played by Jeremy Irons.

And that bit about Harry liking Nick Cave comes from the movies where the Harry/Hermione dance in the tent sequence has the fantastic _O Children_ as the song.


	5. Down in the Dark Where the Dead Men Go

Just a quick reminder – if you're confused about what years the Potter siblings are in, Harper's in her second year, Samuel his fourth and Harry his sixth. Tonks has just finished her seventh and has graduated from Hogwarts whilst Fleur would be in her seventh at Beauxbatons.

 **Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Five: Down in the Dark Where the Dead Men Go**

" _So, your stories," the man looked across at Harry. "You say this happened. And I'm supposed to believe that all of this, that there is some sort of magical world existing out there? Living in the shadows. We're here to help you, Harry. Trust me, these ideas, your imaginations. They're not helping you."_

 _"I know what I saw, though," said Harry, glancing back up in at the man opposite him. "The Spear of Destiny, I mean. I actually saw it. It was real."_

 _"Are you sure?" he said, leaning over his chair. "Such a weapon so powerful, you say it has existed for centuries. Something cannot simply remain hidden that long. And I thought we were making progress, Harry. Tell me, when was the last time you took your medications?"_

 _"Yesterday," Harry lied. The medications had been making him weak, robbing him of his magical ability. He had tried to experiment with wandless magic over the past few days, but that was something that he couldn't master just yet. Not without practice. "I… Took them yesterday."_

 _"Are we sure about that, Mr. Potter?" said the man. "I have cameras in your room, you know. We know everything that happens in there."_

 _"I know," said Harry. "Then you'll have seen me take them."_

 _"I think we need to give you another dose just to make sure," said the man. "Elizabeth?"_

 _"Yes, sir," the woman approached Harry in the chair as he tried to move, holding a needle in her left hand. "This will go a lot quicker if you don't resist."  
_

Harry awoke on the Hogwarts Express from a nightmare that almost felt too real. He tried to remember the dream, recalling fragments of what had just happened. It was some kind of muggle asylum, like where they put the criminally insane. What could that mean for him? Was he slowly losing his mind? Did he just experience a vision of the future or some sort of twisted, alternate reality? Or was it simply just a dream in the first place? Whatever the consequences, he had to look up the side effects of touching the Spear of Destiny as soon as he got to the Hogwarts Library. This was not the first time he had had this dream in the weeks since touching it but it was the first time he had experienced it simply whilst dozing off. Normally the dream came in deep sleep, and this was most decidedly, a new experience for him. Thankfully there was nobody else in the back of the train where he was sleeping to cause any alarm, he had stowed away in the storage compartments at the back of the train before it departed, preferring that to having to put up with people coming into the room and addressing him as his brother. Despite the fact that he was in his sixth year now, and Samuel was still a few years younger than him.

"Hey, Professor," Harry chimed in on the microphone. "Give it a few more hours and I'm going to lose connection with you altogether. So, I guess we'll have to communicate the old-fashioned way from now on."

" _It would appear so_ ," Lupin said. " _Your voice, Harry. Has something startled you?"_

"It's the dream again, Professor," said Harry. "The one I told you about."

" _Interesting. I've heard of recurring dreams before of course but to happen on a regular basis for such a long period of time and only after you touched the Spear of Destiny? I must say, it can't be a coincidence. Maybe there was something in the magical powers of the weapon that we overlooked_."

"Yeah, maybe," said Harry. "I don't know. Who was the last person to touch the spear before me? Not counting Avery and Snape? Bellatrix had it for a bit, didn't she?"

" _Yes, but her hands were gloved_ ," said Lupin. " _Like all the Death Eaters. Before that? I'd say the last person who touched the Spear was… oh, not in a long time. Not even the people inside The Department of Mysteries are allowed to touch it. There's precious little information I can find out about it in the muggle archives that isn't just conspiracy gibberish. I'd have to do some digging. Maybe ask Professor Dumbledore. He might know_."

"Dumbledore, sir?" said Harry. "Are you sure?"

" _Well, he was the one who protected the Spear, was he not_?" Lupin said.

"I'd rather you not speak to Dumbledore yet," said Harry. "I already have Tonks looking out for me and I don't need him suspecting me as well as being something I'm not. He's about one of the few people at Hogwarts who actually trusts my judgement. How's Jason, by the way? Is he out yet?"

Jason's head injury had been worse than feared and he as a result had been committed to St. Mungos for an overdue period of time. " _He checked out this morning. He's fine. He'll want the keys to the shop back_." 

"They should be on my desk. You need to remind him to hire someone else to help him. He can't do everything himself," said Harry. "Thanks for covering for him. I owe you one."

" _So if you don't want to alert Dumbledore_ ," said Lupin. " _Who do you suggest we talk to_?"

"Start at the Department of Mysteries. Maybe one of their employees slipped up over the past few years," said Harry. "Don't you have anyone there who you can talk to? I'm sure a few people there went to Hogwarts in your year, they'd have a high level clearance by now if they stuck there long enough. Maybe you could ask one?"

" _I'd rather not, as it happens. I know full well who you're referring to_ ," said Lupin. " _And given what happened the last time we met, I think it's safe to say Marlene might not be on speaking terms with me. And she's still a member of the Order. She'd report anything suspicious to Dumbledore so we can't rule that out_."

"What if you used Polyjuice?" Harry asked, an idea forming in his head. "Went as somebody else, maybe?"

" _Too risky. Besides, they have anti-Polyjuice wards_ ," said Lupin. " _Marlene is out of the question. Dumbledore is out of the question to. That leaves only one other person_."

Harry paused for a second, realising who Lupin was talking about. "Professor. That option's even more dangerous than both Marlene McKinnon and Albus Dumbledore combined. And besides, we don't even know if the rumours are true. That he's actually still alive, after all this time."

" _My sources have been thoroughly accurate in their investigations_ ," said Lupin. " _Oh, he's alive, alright. Healthy on the other hand… Well, let me put it this way. He has been in_ _Nurmengard since Nineteen Forty-Five. To survive that long and still be the same person in that prison? Impossible. And if the dreams are real? Then his sanity may well and truly be dead. Not of course, that there was much left of it in the first place_."

"Well, seeing as Dumbledore's not an option," said Harry. "We don't have much of a choice. If you need help Mundungus Fletcher might be of assistance. I acquired his services and he'll be willing to accompany you as well. Just, make sure you be careful around him."

" _Harry_ ," said Lupin. " _Are we actually considering doing this? Are you sure there's definitely no book in the Restricted Section that provides information about the Spear of Destiny_?"

"I don't know, I haven't read every book in there," said Harry, realising something suddenly. "But I do have a way of finding out before we even get to Hogwarts. I know someone who has. Well. Vaguely. Mainly by reputation."

" _Very well_ …" said Lupin. " _You can go and make your enquires and I'll pack my things for travel just in case_."

Harry sighed, ended the conversation with his former Professor and climbed to his feet before heading out the door and into the bustling havoc of a Hogwarts Express train ride, passing his way through the crowded corridor with people bustling back and forth. "Hey," a new student who Harry didn't recognise, and must have been a first year, addressed him. "Aren't you Samuel Potter? It's just that you look a bit older than I imagined." 

"You want the first carriage," said Harry, knowing that would be where his younger brother would be purely by having to ask this same question so many times.

"But are you sure? You look so much like him."

"See the scar?" Harry showed him the distinct lack of the lightning-bolt scar.

The boy looked at Harry, confused for a second, and quickly turned embarrassed. "I don't see one…. Oh. Sorry, um…. Hadrian? I guess I'll see you around."

" _Well, I've never heard you called Hadrian before,_ " said Lupin, unable to resist chiming in again. _"I wonder where these people get their ideas for names from. That also means I owe you a butterbeer."_

"So that makes one Hadrian," said Harry after a pause. "Add it to the tally. Seven Harolds, Four Henrys, Three Harrisons. Only one person got a Harry once. On their first go, too."

 _"I remember that,"_ said Lupin _. "You looked stunned for the first five minutes that somebody actually remembered your name. If I didn't know better I would have believed that even your parents forget it too, sometimes."  
_  
"Well, I'll bet you'll never guess who my contact is," said Harry.

" _It wouldn't happen to be Hermione Granger, would it not_?"

"Right in one," said Harry. "Anyway. She normally sits in the third carriage on her own, so this shouldn't be too difficult. She's in my brother's year I think. Gryffindor."

" _Yes. I remember teaching her last year,"_ said Lupin _. "She seemed very intelligent. Were it not a class between Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs I would have put her down as a Ravenclaw_."

"Well, she's got to be brave to still be in Gryffindor and avoid the Samuel Potter fanclub, so there's that," said Harry. "And remember the attack by the Troll in first year? She stayed after that. And second year, too. She was petrified but managed to find out what the monster was that was attacking the students. She's a Gryffindor, alright."

" _Well, let's hope she doesn't tell Dumbledore that you're asking about the aftereffects of what happens about the Spear of Destiny…"_

"She won't," said Harry, heading past the Slytherin section of the train. "I saved her life, remember? She owes me a favour. And besides, she keeps her word. And besides, don't you have some packing to do?"

" _You're right_ ," said Lupin over the microphone. " _I'll see you soon_."

Harry ended the conversation once more, fully aware that he was getting odd looks from people walking past him in the corridor, and turned his attention to the compartment that he knew Hermione Granger was in. He'd walked past this one on the way down, but was surprised to see somebody else in there who he wasn't expecting, Harper – his younger sister, who was just starting her second year, along with a blonde-haired girl whose name he didn't know but it didn't take him long to establish a connection due to the oddity of her dress that she was wearing. Without a doubt, she was a Lovegood – and Harry remembered seeing her vaguely in the Ravenclaw corridors.

"Hey," said Harry, ducking into the corridor, addressing Harper first. "Is it alright if I sit in here for a second?"

"Yeah, sure," said Harper, smiling at him, cheerfully. "Where were you? I was looking everywhere for you – I was worried that you might have missed the train."

"You were?"

"Yeah," said Harper. "I heard what Dad said in his speech. Harry, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," said Harry, with a shrug.

"Are you going to be able to find a place to stay next year?" Harper asked. 

"Jason Samuels is thinking about letting me move in with him," said Harry, realising that he hadn't actually spoken to Jason yet and should probably do it soon. He had enough money to move into his own house as well, almost, so that didn't bother him too much, but it was nice to keep his options open. "Anyway. How're you? How was the World Cup?"

"It was great," said Harper. "Ireland got the most points but Krum caught the snitch. The Weasley Twins bet that something like that might happen as well, they got lots of galleons off Bagman."

"Huh," said Harry after a pause. "Bet they're wondering where it's all gone now."

"What?"

"Bagman's a scammer," said Harry. "He'll have given them Fools Gold. He never gives out real money."

"Real money has been known to increase the amount of nargles inside one's head," said the Lovegood child after a pause, out of nowhere. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Luna Lovegood."

"Harry Potter."

"Yes, I know who you are," said Luna. "Your sister was telling me all about you."

"You were?"

"Yeah," said Harper. "Mostly that you don't show up much and keep yourself to yourself. Kind of like Hermione. Have you two ever tried being friends? You'd get on well." 

"Harper…" Hermione said, looking at Harry's sister.

"Actually, Hermione, I was wondering if I could ask you a question about a book in the library. I was doing a research for my History of Magic assignment and I was looking at the Spear of Destiny. You wouldn't happen to know if there were any books in the library about it, were you?"

"The Spear of Destiny?" Hermione said, raising an eyebrow at Harry. "I didn't think Professor Binns covered that. Most of his lectures are about Goblin Wars."

"Well, wait until sixth year," said Harry, knowing that he'd be long gone from Hogwarts by that point and wouldn't have to worry about Hermione finding out about any non-existent conspiracy theory lectures on the Spear of Destiny. "I'd like to say things get more exciting, but they don't. Sorry. He manages to make even the Spear of Destiny sound boring."

"What's the Spear of Destiny?" Harper asked. "I mean, I know it was the object that my brother spectacularly failed to protect, but what does it do? It's pretty powerful."

"Nobody really knows," said Hermione. "There's all sorts of different theories about it and its power. But no, there aren't any books in the library apart from a few short passages that tell us it might have existed. I don't think even Professor Dumbledore knows that much about it. The last public sighting of it was in the battle between him and Grindelwald. It's been kept under lock and key in the Department of Mysteries since then."

"So it's like some kind of superweapon?" Harper said. "No wonder You-Know-Who wants it. Good job he didn't get it. They're saying that the Man in the Suit stopped Bellatrix Lestrange, you know. Or at least found her for the Aurors to finish her off."

"The Man in the Suit?" Hermione said. "I have some theories about who he could be, you know. I'm working on a list. My current theory is that it's Sirius Black."

"Oh come on," said Harper. "He's too busy having orgies at Grimmauld Place if half the rumours about what happens there over the Summer are true."

Hermione shot a disapproving look at Harper, who shrugged nonchalantly, as Harry sat there smirking at Hermione's suggestion. "Besides, we'll find out by the end of the year. They think it's somebody who's at Hogwarts, either a student or a teacher, so they're sending Aurors to investigate. Therefore, it must be Sirius Black."

"But Sirius Black is an Auror! He's on my Dad's taskforce," protested Harper. "Hermione, you're smart, but there's no _way_ it could be Sirius Black. My bet? It's Snape. If they're sending it to Hogwarts. Maybe Snape became The Man in the Suit to piss off my Dad because he hates him so much."

Harry had to snort at that idea as Hermione tried to argue that Sirius was using the idea as it was someone at Hogwarts as a cover to investigate potential people who were the 'Man in the Suit' so he could throw suspicion off himself. But at the same time, he was worried and should have been more careful about his role as The Man in the Suit in the last couple of Hogwarts years, mainly operating in the Summer and the Winter periods. "I don't suppose you know who they're sending to investigate the guy?"

"Nymphadora Tonks," said Harper. "Do you know her?"

"We've met, yeah," said Harry, relieved. Tonks was a talented Auror but she was too busy falling over herself half the time. "Anybody else or just her?"

"Sirius Black is helping out," said Harper. "But I think he's there in more official capacity. You know, the Triwizard Tournament is happening this year."

"The Triwizard Tournament?" Hermione raised her eyebrow and looked across at Luna, who was currently reading _The Quibbler_ upside down. "Did you hear about this?"

"The Nargles told me that something important was happening this year at Hogwarts," said Luna. "But they never said what it was." 

"I swear your father tells you and your brother everything," said Hermione. "You know, going by Official Tournament regulations, we shouldn't know that it's actually taking place until the Headmaster of the host school announces it. Which is quite frankly, unfair, especially when you consider that the other competing schools are usually told about it in advance. Anyway. Is it Beauxbatons and Durmstrang this year?"

"Yeah," said Harper. "They tried to get negotiations for Ilvermorny, one of the American schools, but it fell through in the end and they went with Durmstrang instead. Anyway. It should be pretty interesting. You thinking of entering, Harry? I mean, despite what Dad said?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "Still not sure yet. I could use with the extra money post-Hogwarts, but at the same time, the idea of giving one big last middle fingered-salute to Dad does sound kind of cool. Besides. This is assuming that I enter _and_ that I'm selected. I could always fail. But anyway, Hermione. Spear of Destiny." 

Hermione looked up at Harry, not expecting to be addressed by the older teenager. "Are we going back to that again? Harry, honestly. You should know these things already, you know, for your Summer assignment."

"It's just the last bit that I've got left to do and sixth years usually don't have History of Magic until the Friday," said Harry, covering for himself. "So, I figured I'd have a few more days. But I was wondering if you knew anything about touching the Spear? Like, what it's consequences would be?"

"I haven't heard anything about that," said Hermione. "But Dumbledore must have touched it and he's fine, so. I can't imagine there would be any. You could always ask Grindelwald though, if you wanted to go to Nurmengard. But I suppose it's too late now."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said, mumbling " _did you get that_?" into the voice communication software. Lupin's response was the affirmative, telling him that he was on his way immediately. The best Harry could do now was sit back, wait, and hope for the best, as it wasn't long before they reached Hogwarts and would be out of immediate communication range. "Anyway. So. Triwizard Tournament. Who do you reckon's going to be the Champion this year?"

 **II.**

It was raining heavily in Germany when Remus Lupin arrived through an international portkey. Wind swept down from the mountaintops with such fury that he was almost immediately blown from his feet, and was thankful that he had chosen to pack for cold weather. A tall man who had enchanted an umbrella to remain in one place over his head despite the wind was waiting for him, and said in a thick German accent, "Welcome to Nurmengard, Mr. Whistler."

It was best to give the man a fake alias, even though he was one of his contacts. There were rumours that Dumbledore kept an eye on the visitors to Nurmengard just to make sure every now and again and the fact that Remus Lupin was visiting Nurmengard would no doubt raise alarm. So, for purposes such as these he adopted the name instead Alfred Whistler. "Thanks. How far until we get to the prison?" 

The man chuckled. "We can apparate from here. We do not allow people to portkey inside the prison walls, but when accompanied by side along apparition however…"

"I understand," said Lupin. "Is there anything I should expect, I mean? Before I see him?"

"He hasn't had a visitor in over twenty years," said the man. "Not since the Old Man. Hell, we've locked the key and thrown it away. I'd be surprised if there was much of a man left. What are you here for, anyway?"

"A personal reason," said Lupin, adopting a colder demeanour than he would normally. "Is that everything?"

"Don't give him any food, he's had his meal for today, don't give him any sharp objects and don't let him see you have a wand," said the man. "He'll try to get inside your head. Manipulate you. A word of advice. Don't let him do that."

"I'll try not to," said Lupin, and without further ado, allowed the man whose name he didn't know to take him inside the prison. As soon as he arrived within its rundown, damp walls he felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise, a cold chill sweeping over him as he remembered the time he had been to Azkaban. Thankfully there were no Dementors here, but the place still had secrets of its own that kept the prisoners from escaping, and stories of the atrocities that had been committed here under Grindelwald's reign were horrifying. Graffiti was present on the walls from when it was ransacked following the battle that had seen it looted before Dumbledore re-established the defences to hold Grindelwald, and everything looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in years. He was standing in some kind of liquid that smelled so disgusting there was no way it could be water, and everything in his body was telling, no, begging him to get out while he could. But here Remus Lupin was.

There was only one prisoner in Nurmengard, which made his job a lot easier, having to walk past the empty cells that had long ago been abandoned. "He drove half of them so mad that they had to kill themselves," said the man, seeing Lupin's eyes linger on the empty cells for a fraction longer than necessary. "The rest of the prisoners were moved to Azkaban after that. We couldn't risk moving _him,_ however." 

He approached the door to the cell of Gellert Grindelwald and after waving his wand, removed the enchantments on it. "I trust you can handle yourself, Mr. Whistler."

"I can," he said with a brief nod. "After all, I've been in worse places than this." 

The man gave a crooked smile, and Lupin could see that he was missing two of his front teeth. "Well, the best of luck to you. You're going to need it. First sign of emergency, you shout for me you hear? If nothing else happens, I'll open the door again in thirty minutes." 

Lupin nodded, and entered the cell, feeling the lights flicker on in the room around him as he felt the door closing behind him. Only once the door was fully slammed shut he found himself standing opposite someone who looked like a cruel shadow of his former self. A man who had one point had led armies, conquered continents and had the magical world on the brink of his fingertips. "Good afternoon," Lupin said simply. "Thank you for taking the time to listen to me, Mr. Grindelwald. I have a few questions for you that I would hope you wouldn't mind answering. I believe you are the resident living expert on the Spear of Destiny?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

Well we get to meet two more canon characters, Hermione and Luna. Luna won't play much of a role in this but given that she's in the same year as Harper I thought it'd be a good idea to make them friends. Hermione as well isn't part of the "Trio", Samuel is a bit different from canon Harry so wouldn't have necessarily gone to save Hermione after Ron insulted her in the first book, although he's a bit different now to when he was back in his first two years.

And I mainly wanted to give Lupin something to do this chapter and to give it a bit more tension than your normal train ride chapter usually does, so I thought I'd include a visit to see Grindelwald in this one as well as Lupin starts to get his own arc. We'll be seeing more of Mundungus Fletcher as well soon. Lupin's alias Alfred Whistler is a homage to three things, the first a combination of Alfred Hitchcock and Alfred the Butler from Batman, whilst his surname Whistler is a nod to the alternate name sometimes used by _Person of Interest_ 's Harold Finch.

It's also worth noting that in this version ( _Fantastic Beasts_ spoilers here, so stop reading if you haven't seen the film) Gellert Grindelwald is not played by Johnny Depp but instead Christoph Waltz, which would have been a hundred times better casting than what we actually got. An alternative casting for Fleur Delacour is a younger version of Mélanie Laurent. I'll be posting a full list of alternative cast actors on my profile page from now on rather than updating it here but assume that unless otherwise stated, each character is played by their normal actor/actress.


	6. Watching the Detectives

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Six: "Watching the Detectives"**

 **I.**

It was dark and miserable weather by the time that the train had arrived at Hogwarts. Harry had returned to his private compartment at the back of the train following his conversation with Lupin in order to get changed into his robes. By the time he re-joined them again, they were changed to, as they prepared to ride the Thestral carriages into Hogwarts. "The carriages," Harper said once they made their way towards them. "How do they move?"

"Didn't Dad tell you about the Thestrals?" Harry asked, approaching one of them and putting his hand up to where it was, stroking its neck, as Harper looked confused. "They're invisible creatures to most of the world. Only those who have witnessed death can see them."

"Oh. Because of…" Harper thought back to the night when Voldemort entered their house, before she was born. She didn't need to have been alive then to know of what had happened on that particular Halloween night, because barely a month went by without it being of some sort of conversation, usually whenever the Potters made an appearance in the news. "Right. That makes sense. Sorry."

She climbed in the carriage after Luna and Hermione. Harry made his way to follow, and was helped in by his sister. "Thanks."

Before the Thestral could lead the carriage away however, Draco Malfoy approached with his two friends, Crabbe and Goyle. "I presume there's not going to be a seat in there for the three of us?"

"Not sure why you'd want to sit in here anyway, Malfoy," Harper said.

"Oh, I don't," he said. "I just came here to taunt you about how useless your brother is," said Draco, and seeing Harry for the first time, he added, trying to cover his tracks, "Don't worry. I'm not talking about you. I mean _Samuel._ Did you see him? He's such a joke. I personally wouldn't have shown my face here again after that humiliation at the Department of Mysteries. To have such an honour to be protecting the Spear of Destiny and then to almost _lose_ it."

"Your dad was probably the one who helped Lestrange steal it," said Harper. "He didn't do a very good job though."

"I'll have you know father was presently otherwise occupied," said Draco. "Regardless. Potter. I'll have you know things are going to be very interesting at Hogwarts this year."

"If you're thinking I don't know about the Triwizard Tournament then you're mistaken," said Harper. "My Dad told me. Now, have you got anything more to say?" 

Draco merely smiled, as if he knew more than he was letting on, and said as he wondered off, "I'll see you at Hogwarts."

"You handled that well," Harry said once the carriages were underway. "Normally Samuel has to get a few spells in before giving up."

"Well, I've learned," said Harper. "And what did you do to him, by the way? I've never seen Malfoy more scared than when he looked at you before."

"Oh, let's just say we have an… understanding," said Harry. "He stays out of my way and I stay out of his."

"That's not a very Gryffindor approach."

"I'm not a Gryffindor," said Harry, with a smirk. "I can get away with these things."

 **II.**

"Welcome, to another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore announced once the sorting had taken place. A significant number of new students had arrived and it had been roughly an even split into the four houses. There were no notable celebrity additions to Hogwarts this year, nobody born to famous parents. It was usually brothers and sisters of muggleborns and half-bloods, as well as the few purebloods from various minor wizarding families. "I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, the inter-house Quidditch cup will not take place this year."

There were, as expected, a few outrages at this, particularly from the Weasley Twins over on Gryffindor. Harry sat towards the back of the room, noticing that Barty Crouch Sr. stood at the back of the table with Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks, but currently there was no Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in sight, and that was as expected, causing all sorts of whispers. Had Dumbledore not managed to find a teacher this year? Either way, the Headmaster followed up with his speech announcing the Triwizard Tournament which caused even more gossiping particularly among the students who had not been made aware of in advance. A glance over the Gryffindor table informed Harry that Samuel was currently talking to Harper for the first time this year alone, without his friend Ron Weasley following their fallout at the end of last year. Harper smiled at Harry when she caught him looking in his direction, and Samuel was able to do the same. As he was listing the dates that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would arrive on, approximately one week from now, giving the Hogwarts students enough time to get settled into the swing of things, Harry wondered briefly what results Lupin would have for him in regards to his conversation with Grindelwald. What news would he bring? Were the dreams a real thing? Was he doomed to suffer the fate of Grindelwald for merely touching the Spear of Destiny?

He glanced around the room again and nearly jumped in surprise at a small, bald man who was standing in the hallway in the front of the entrance. His eyes lingered on the man for a split second as he wondered why people hadn't noticed the intruder, but when he blinked again, the man was not there. Quickly dismissing it as a fragment of his imagination, Harry turned back to the front of the table. "Now," said Dumbledore. "You're probably wondering why Mr. Black and Miss Tonks are here with us this year. Now, as I'm sure you are aware by now, the vigilante known as the Man in the Suit is speculated to be among the ranks of Hogwarts School. I have assured the Aurors that none of our students or staff would ever take part in such illegal activities but regardless, they are merely here for safety precautions. If anyone has any information about the activities of the Man in the Suit I strongly urge you to report the matter to the two officials directly. Reports will be treated with the utmost seriousness and respect."

This further caused the gossiping to fill the halls of Hogwarts as they realised that there could be a vigilante sitting among them right now, and nobody any the wiser as to his identity. Harry caught the eye of Snape lingering on him for a moment longer than necessary, as if he already knew. The gauntlet had been thrown, and this year at Hogwarts was going to be one rife with the magical equivalent of a witch hunt. He wondered who would get accused first, and he sensed that it wasn't Dumbledore's idea to announce that they were looking for the Man in the Suit to the entire school, as the man looked reluctant even to say it. He got the feeling that this was coming from Sirius or even his father, something that the Ministry had told him to say. Normally Dumbledore was one to avoid the Ministry's instructions altogether, which worried Harry. Something must have startled him over the summer. "And now-"

This time, people did notice the figure in the door of the Great Hall, and Harry instantly knew who it was. He was soaking wet from the rain outside, and his fake eye certainly left an impression on the students as it sped about the room at a different rate to his normal one, lingering on his brother for longer than most of the rest of the room. "Ah. May I be the first to introduce you to Alastor Moody, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. How was the journey, Alastor?"

"Fine," said Moody with a grunt, and a spit. "I ran into some trouble on the way. Taken care of." Spit. "No matter. Sorry I couldn't be here sooner."

"Not to worry," said Dumbledore. "I believe that is all the announcements that I have to make this year. Further details about the Triwizard Tournament will be revealed on the opening night. Now without further ado, I am fully aware of how much food your stomachs all desire, and I will not put myself between yourself and the food any further. Please, Eat."

 **III.**

Harry made his way up to the Ravenclaw tower after the feast when he was stopped by Tonks midway through. "Hey," she said. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, yeah," he said. "Bet you never imagined you'd be back at this place."

"I guess," said Tonks. "It feels weird being back and not being in Hufflepuff. I miss that place."

"Where are you staying now, some private quarters?"

"Yeah. Thankfully I don't have to share with Sirius," said Tonks, a relieved look on her face. "Anyway. Jason's fine, by the way. He's back at his store again, in case you were wondering." 

"Thanks for letting me know," Harry said. "I was worried." 

"So, you wouldn't happen to know who The Man in the Suit is, would you?" Tonks asked, "Just saying, it would make my job a lot easier."

"If I did," said Harry. "You'll be the first to know." 

"Well I could use a little help with the students," said Tonks. "You could help me out."

"Did you forget that I'm not exactly Mr. Popular around here?" Harry said. "I can't exactly drop myself into different social groups and go, hey, I'm Harry Potter. I know you all hate me but I was wondering if any of you knew who The Man in the Suit is. That's going to work."

"It was worth a try," said Tonks.

"But you could try my sister," suggested Harry. "You know, Harper. She's friendly."

"So you've found a member of your family that you don't hate."

"Well, it was bound to happen eventually," said Harry with a shrug. "She seems to be more popular than I am. Maybe she'll know something. I mean, don't go asking Hermione Granger, she thinks it's Sirius Black for some reason." 

Tonks snorted. "Now that would be weird. But thanks for the suggestion. I'll ask her if she wants to help. I guess I'll see you around!"

"Yeah," said Harry, nodding, and turned away from Tonks to head upstairs to the Ravenclaw tower, thankful that by the looks of things Tonks hadn't immediately come to suspect him straight away. He heard a loud crash and bang behind him to find out that Tonks had knocked over a suit of armour as she herself turned to leave and was standing there, grinning sheepishly.

"Oops."

"Don't worry," Harry called after her, as the stairs he was on began to move. "I won't tell Dumbledore!"

 **IV.**

Harry Potter did not go to bed that night in Ravenclaw Tower. It was important that to throw off suspicion that the Man in the Suit was sighted _outside_ of Hogwarts, and in order to do that, he had to publicly bust up some low-rent criminal gang operating out of Knockturn Alley. He used the cover of darkness to slip away and out of the anti-apparition zone, where he was able to vanish in the dead of night. The fact that Ravenclaw had private rooms for sixth and seventh years unlike Gryffindor certainly helped in his discretion as nobody would dare to check in his room during the middle of the night, and as a result he was able to surprise a Mundungus Fletcher who was smoking on top of his balcony view in the Leaky Cauldron, overlooking Diagon Alley. "I'm trying to quit," he said, his thick accent coming across ever-present. "But these muggle smokes. They're good. But next time, I'd appreciate a warning. Almost dropped it."

"I thought you said you were trying to quit?" said Harry, keeping his face concealed from Mundungus, even though he was standing behind him. "Anyway. What do you have for me?"

" "There is an auction happening tonight in Knockturn Alley," said Fletcher. Valuables. Goods that might not have been _legally_ acquired, if you understand where I'm coming from here. Building 132 in the cellar. You'll need a disguise. The password to enter is _Ashes_."

"Anything else?"

"There should be about twenty there," said Fletcher. "Are you sure you can handle them?"

"I won't need to," said Harry. "You're an member of the Order of the Phoenix. Alert the Order."

"Are you sure? The Aurors almost caught you last time," said Fletcher.

"Well then if I get caught you won't have to be my informant anymore," said Harry, and vanished.

"Wait," Fletcher was about to address him, maybe ask him for his name, maybe ask what he was going to do to the people attending the auction house, but The Man in the Suit was long gone by the time he did, leaving nothing but emptiness there. "Damn."

 **V.**

The auction house took place in a small house at the end of a cobbled street. Harry had set his watch for the estimation of how long it would take for the Aurors to arrive, knowing that half of the taskforce assigned to him was at Hogwarts and the other half was likely at home, and that gave him about twenty-five minutes once the carnage began for a response. Thirty minutes until any anti-apparition wards were established. And no Lupin to alert him, with the former Professor still being in Germany speaking to Grindelwald judging by the response, or rather lack thereof, on his voice communicator. Loud shouting could be heard from inside, as Harry advanced, and knocked three times on the door, making sure to wear a mask that would fit in line with the other anonymous attendees at the gathering. At least for now.

"Password _._ "

"Ashes," Harry said, opening the door. An old man greeted him, and led him downstairs.

"Only showing up for the serious stuff, I take it? They've gotten most of the beginner's stuff out of the way," said the man. "This is where it gets good. I'm talking high range artefacts, top of the pile. Stuff you'd have to kill to get. So I trust you've got a lot of money up your sleeve."

"I have," said Harry. "Don't worry."

"I'm not the one who should be worrying," said the man. "You can take a seat towards the back next to the man in the grey suit."

"Thanks," said Harry, smiling as he recognised who it was. It was none other than Avery, the man who had tried to steal the Spear of Destiny for the first time, and had appropriately turned up in his Death Eater clothing. Anywhere else this would be a big red flag and the start of mass panic but not in 132 Knockturn Alley, a haven of rogues and criminals. He decided to make his way towards the back of the room, making sure that Avery didn't notice him, as the man at the front of the room, the only one without a mask, began announcing the next item on the list.

"And next up we move onto our more high-valued artefacts," said the man, holding a book into the air that Harry recognised instantly, fear gripping him. _'Impossible. No, no. That's just not possible._ ' "The bidding for this artefact starts at ten thousand galleons, something which I am fully aware of, may be a steep price. But after all, we are all rich men here, are we not?"

Several of the men laughed. There were no women amongst them, Harry noted, and in fact, there were few female Death Eaters left after Bellatrix Lestrange had been arrested and Narcissa Malfoy had retired to her life of solitude. If she had even ever been a Death Eater in the first place – there were rumours that her husband and her constantly disagreed over his so-called history. "Some of you may remember that two years ago, courtesy of the Dark Lord, a Basilisk was unleashed upon the school of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unfortunately, it did not manage to cleanse the unclean, but I was able to instead recover through my allies at the school, the artefact that helped unleash it in the first place." 

The whispers began to start around the room. The Death Eaters didn't know what they had in their possession, that much was clear, and it was evident that the Auctioneer was trying to flog off the book as some kind of Basilisk-controlling artefact that could sneak past detection wards as powerful as Hogwarts'. "But nevertheless, even though the Basilisk is dead, the book itself remains intact. As you can see, it is powerful. Due to the nature of how it works, I cannot possibly disclose information at this early stage. _However,_ The winner of this auction will earn a half an hour solo session with me where I will explain how to use it, as well as reveal the likely location of any future Basilisks that one can charm to their use. Now, gentlemen. Do I have your attention? Who would like to make the first bid?"

Harry coughed when he was close enough to Avery to make sure that he got his attention, taking off his mask but making sure that a spell obscured his face, making it blurry to those who looked him in the eye. "Ahem. Mind if I cut in?" 

" _You,_ " Avery said, recognising the voice and hurling a spell instantly at Harry who ducked, causing the Killing Curse to hit the man behind. Chaos began to ensue in the ranks as men turned on each other without saying another word, leaving Harry to pick off the remains. His number one goal however was the book, to learn how it had just fallen out of Dumbledore's hands, having presumed it would have been left in the Chamber following its sealing off at the end of second year. Just what had happened to it so that it could have ended up here?

"Get back here!" Avery yelled, turning his wand on Harry. "I want you dead!"

"Sorry, don't think that's going to happen today," said Harry, returning a spell and sending Avery blasting back across the chairs. He was running down the time that he had left in his head, and he had to make sure that he was spotted by the Aurors. _'Come on Dad_ , _what's taking you so long_?'

A loud blast send the man who had introduced him to the room earlier tumbling down the stairs. "And there we go," Harry said aloud, thankful that the Aurors hadn't yet established the anti-apparition wards and as a result was able to steal the book from the man on the podium, and making sure that James, Tonks and Sirius each got a good look at him as he blasted Avery back across the room once more, he vanished, his face hidden all the while, landing with a crumpled heap in the room beneath Honeyduke's Hogsmeade store, thankful that he had not splinched himself in the process. Picking himself up to his feet, Harry brushed the dust-off Tom Riddle's diary once he was inside the passageway back to Hogwarts, and began to look at it. The blood was still there that he had used to stab the book with, to kill the young Tom Riddle while his brother was busy fighting the Basilisk, not even aware of the book's existence, but it was dried, and the pages were crumpled. Surely, it could not possibly still work. Surely by now it could be dead, whatever Riddle was had gone from the Book.

But he had to make sure. He had to make sure, for confirmation now more than anything, that the book did not pose any more of a threat to Hogwarts and its inhabitants. Once he was back in his room, relieved to see that the book didn't trigger any of the wards around Hogwarts, he decided to scrawl into the book. Just to check if Tom Riddle didn't respond. _'My name is Harry Potter,_ ' he wrote at the first page, and pushed it back across the table, ready to close it shut when the pages vanished.

For a few seconds, there was nothing. And then, against all odds, there was something, on the page of a book that should, by all rights, have no magical power left within its pages. A distant relic of the past, nothing more. _'Hello, Harry Potter,'_ the book wrote back. ' _My name is Tom Riddle._ '

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	7. The Three Potters

**Have You Ever Seen The Rain?**

 **Chapter Seven: The Three Potters**

 **I.**

It had been one night, and he hadn't received any word from Lupin about Grindelwald. Nothing, not even in Diagon Alley through the ear-pieces, which presented a massive problem. His dreams had kept coming over the evening, this time instead of a white room it was a red one, and several muggle scientists were there conducting experiments. It was bad enough in the dream but outside, Harry started to feel too like someone was always watching him, and he kept looking down corridors for longer than necessary just to make sure that there was nobody actually there. It freaked him the hell out, and he hoped that Grindelwald knew something that could help him. After waking early, covered in sweat from another dream, Harry eventually headed down to the great hall.

"Hey, Harry!" Harper called to his brother. Breakfast on the first day was fairly empty by this point as the first hour was usually a free period giving students time to wonder around the castle and get to grips with their new home. This was something that most students took for extra time in bed, but Harry had never been one for staying in late, and judging by the fact that Harper was here, it was a trait shared in some members of their family. There was no Samuel anywhere in sight. "You alright? You look shattered."

"Combination of a bad dream and a few laps around the Hogwarts ground," he said with a shrug, sitting down next to Harper. This caused a few eyebrows to dart in their direction from other students around the table wondering why a Ravenclaw was sitting at a Gryffindor table, but it wasn't the first time this had happened in Hogwarts history, and they were brother and sister after all, so it was only to be expected. Harry grabbed a bacon sandwich hungrily. "How are you?"

"Good," she said. "Laps?"

"Physical exercise," said Harry. "Muggle term. Running around the castle. I did four laps of the grounds this morning. Plus, a swim."

"You _swam,_ no wonder your hair's so wet," said Harper. "Where?"

"In the lake, obviously," Harry said, still shivering. "It's freezing."

"Are you mad?"

"Maybe," he said. "Doesn't look like the Squid was home though."

"There's more than just the Squid in those waters," said Harper. "There's a reason nobody goes skinny dipping in it."

"I wasn't skinny dipping," Harry said, through mouthfuls. Harper laughed, and after the timetables were passed around, he added"Okay. So what lessons do you have first today?"

"I've got Potions at ten," said Harper. "With _Snape._ And the Slytherins. Kill me now, please. What about you?"

"Defence," said Harry. "With the Gryffindors, and that means Fred and George Weasley. Unfortunately."

Harper rolled her eyes. "Honestly, they're not that bad once you get used to them. They found Dad's old map remember?"

"I do," said Harry. "I assume he took it off you when you told him?"

"What makes you think I told him?" Harper said with a smirk. "I don't use it that much though now that Pettigrew's caught. I don't really have the need for it. Just trying to hopefully finally complete a year where nothing happens."

"I think we could all use a breather," said Harry. "But, Triwizard Tournament. What's the odds on one of us being involved somehow?"

"I don't know, I mean, unless you enter, legally," said Harper, "We can't. Someone would have to put our names in the Goblet for us."

"You thinking of asking someone?"

"No, I've had enough crazy in my life," said Harper. "But you should enter, you know. Dad's probably not going to give you that money anyway, and if you win you'll at least get the prize money."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," said Harry. "But I would be excommunicated from the family."

"So what? It's not like you get a new surname, and for all intents and purposes, you're still my brother," said Harper. "Who cares what Dad thinks?"

"Quite a lot of people," said Harry. "But you raise a good point. He isn't going to keep his word. I mean, look at the number of things he's promised me in the past."

"You're still bitter about the fact that you didn't get a tricycle for your six birthday?" Harper said, raising an eyebrow.

"Shut up," said Harry, throwing a bit of fruit at her jokingly, which Harper caught, laughing. He checked the time after he'd finished his sandwich and some eggs, and said, "Well, I'd better get going."

"Already?"

"I just have to check something," Harry said. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah," said Harper. "Oh, and by the way, Sam's looking for you. He said something about an apology."

"Huh," said Harry as he climbed up from his feet. "What's his last lesson, do you know?"

"Potions," said Harper. "He's got his last and I've got mine first. So Snape'll be in a really bad mood by the end of the day. Two Potters in a day. When's yours?"

"Friday morning," said Harry. "So he's got a whole week to build up his rage. Anyway. Like I said, I'll see you around."

"Yeah, you to," Harper said, sensing that the conversation was over as her friends had just entered the room. Harry left with his intention of heading to the Owlery to see if Lupin had written to him yet. He had stored the diary safely in his trunk underneath his bed, and had managed to avoid the temptation to open it. Part of himself wanted to have a conversation with Riddle to find out what he knew and what he remembered but the more sensible part of Harry was overwhelmingly opposed to this approach. He was relieved to find the Owlery mostly abandoned by the time he got there, apart from Sirius Black, who was standing there as an owl flew in.

It was only after he had opened the message that he turned around to see Harry and said, "Oh. It's you. What do you want?"

"I'm just checking to see if I have any mail. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

"No," said Sirius. "Nothing wrong with that. But who'd be writing to you? Your parents don't exactly like you that much and last time I checked you aren't exactly Mr. Popular around here, either."

"I thought you might have remembered what it's like to be an outsider in your own family," said Harry. "I'm pretty much going through exactly the same thing as you, you know. Only the Potters are a bit less evil."

Sirius scowled at this, but couldn't argue with that. "I guess you have a point. Sorry, kid."

"You're investigating The Man in the Suit, right?"

"Something like that, yeah. We don't have any leads at the moment though," said Sirius with a sigh. "I was hoping we'd be able to find him by Christmas. But it doesn't look like he's actually at Hogwarts at all. Hell, coming here was a waste of time in the first place. I don't even know why I'm telling you this."

 _'Probably because you've mistaken me for my father again,_ ' Harry realised, and decided to nod at Sirius and head off, leaving the man to ponder in his thoughts. On his way down Tonks approached him and he said, "Hey. Have you seen Sirius lately?"

"Yeah, he's up at the Owlery," said Harry with a shrug. "You alright?"

"Yeah," she said. "So first day, right?"

"Looks that way," said Harry with a shrug. "You've got water in your hair, by the way."

"Yeah, I know, bloody Weasley twins," said Tonks, with a scowl, giving her hair a shake as it changed from pink to blue in the process. "I thought I'd finally be rid of them. But apparently not."

"Apparently not," agreed Harry. "You know they're only well liked because they're in Gryffindor, right?"

"Of course," said Tonks. "They've picked on so many people and they seem to get away with it pretty much every time. I remember when they followed the Kent kid around last year, nearly drove him mad. He doesn't see to be back this year... Anyway, don't you have classes to attend?"

"That is actually a very good point," said Harry after checking the time. "Anyway. I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah," said Tonks with a smile. See you around."

Noticing the statue behind Tonks, Harry quickly managed to cast a spell that moved it slightly further backwards so she didn't bump into it like she had done the last time. Tonks laughed again, and said, "Thanks. I really need to be more careful. I could have crashed into that thing like yesterday."

He said goodbye after that, and his journey to Moody's class was otherwise uneventful, at least, until he arrived in the classroom. "So. Mr. Potter thinks he can arrive later than everyone else can he, just because he's related to the Boy Who Lived? What were you doing that was more important than this class, son?"

Harry grimaced, having been sure that he'd made it to class on time. But apparently, that wasn't the case, because everyone was already present and seated. "Weasley, stop that," snapped Moody, his eye lingering on the Gryffindor Twins in the corner of the room who were playing a game of Exploding Snap underneath the Table. Both of them looked at Moody with mock surprise, as he added, "Both of you. Nobody plays cards in my classroom and gets away with it. Now, you're here and here to learn. It is evident that according to Dumbledore you have not been adequately prepared for your sixth-year exams so it is my duty to get you up to speed on certain key subjects that will be discussed during them. Namely, the Unforgivable Curses. If I had my way about it you'd be learning about these in Fourth Year but apparently not. Who was your teacher then? Potter?"

"Um, Gildeory Lockheart, Sir," said Harry, still standing up with his luggage. "He spent half the time promoting his own books and the other half releasing Cornish Pixies and then locking himself in the closet in fright."

" _Lockheart,_ " said Moody with a scowl. "No wonder you're so behind. Now. Tell me. Unforgivable Curses. What are they?"

Several hands went up at this. Moody turned towards Angelina Johnson and said, "Yes?"

"The Imperius Curse?"

"Yes," said Moody. "Correct. Five points to Gryffindor. The _Imperius Curse,_ now, that caused a lot of trouble during the War. It's a spell you see, that makes people do whatever the caster wants them to do. Within reason of course. I can't make Potter here fly. _But._ I can make Potter do this. Imperio!"

He waved his wand at Harry, but Harry, prepared, instantly responded before the spell could be fired and sent Moody blasting back over his desk. This brought about a shocked whisper among the rest of the class, and not only because Moody had fired an Unforgivable at a student, but also that Harry Potter had just successfully countered one. He also just realised a little too late, in his eagerness to show off, what he'd done. He'd given them a suspect. However, all the conversation was quickly brushed aside when Moody began laughing as he climbed to his feet, flipping his coat back behind him and taking a sip from his glass. "Well, I didn't know what I was expecting when I came into this class _BUT_ I certainly wasn't expecting that. Bravo, Mr. Potter. Bravo. Few people in this room would have the balls to do what you've just done, counter a teacher. But that's the number one rule! Something that you should learn, and should be ingrained from your head from day one. If somebody fires an Unforgivable at you, no matter who it is, you fire back! Ten points to Ravenclaw. Now. Take a seat. Unless you want me to curse you again."

"No sir," said Harry, sitting down at the back of the class on his own as the whispers followed him. He hoped Moody wouldn't be that literal with the other two Unforgivable curses against other students, but apparently, that wasn't the case. Which presented another, weird answer. _Why_ _him_? Did he know, somehow? Or was it something else about him? Speculation again lasted only minutes as Moody soon started testing the Imperius curse on various other students around the classroom, to see how well they would react. Two others, Angelina Johnson among them, managed to avoid the spells cast, but for the most part they were hit. Even the Weasley Twins were forced to do things against their will, which was welcoming news for Harry. It was about time someone got them back for something.

 **II.**

Several days later, having managed to successfully all but forget about Tom Riddle's Diary and the problems that it created, the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were due to arrive. It was for once, not raining as Harry stood overlooking the castle grounds, preferring to watch from afar at the arrivals of the visitors rather than up close at the heart of the action. He wasn't sure how they were getting here but it was likely that they would be putting on a show, to awe the students of Hogwarts as the host school. "Hey!" someone who was clearly by the sound of their voice out of breath addressed Harry, having just ran up several flights of stairs. "Harper told me you were here. Look, I was wondering if it didn't bother you too much, if we could talk? I know you must be probably going through a lot right now, but…"

"Well, we're talking now, right?" Harry said, not having to turn around to know who it was. It was Samuel. "Shouldn't you be downstairs with the others?"

"Shouldn't you?" Samuel retorted and Harry shrugged. "That's what I thought. Anyway. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for everything I've done for the past few years. I mean, it hasn't anywhere near been enough to repay what I've done. But I'm starting to actually see, I mean. What it's like to be an outcast. And I… kind of get it now. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been an outcast for nearly as long as you have. But this year? It's been barely the first week and I'm struggling to survive on my own."

Harry was actually surprised at that. He had known Samuel would have been persecuted once the inevitable news of his failure to protect the Spear of Destiny was made public (thanks to an article by Rita Skeeter in a smear attack against Samuel), but he hadn't expected the persecution to be _this bad._ And he knew it was bad because this was the first-time Samuel had said more than three words to him in a non-malicious way since before Hogwarts. Silence filled the air for a moment and Samuel added, "Damn. I don't know what I expected you to say. But I'm sorry, and I kind of understand if you still don't want to talk to me, I know I deserve that."

"Thanks," Harry said after a long pause, deciding it was probably better to break the silence seeing as he wasn't going to leave any time soon. "I guess. So what does this mean? Going forward?"

"Well, obviously I'm not going to be a prat towards you again," said Samuel. "I mean, I would use my influence to stop others from being a prat towards you but as you can see, I don't have much of that anymore. I don't think I'd want to be down there anyway. It's taken me screwing up to get Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley to _both_ agree on something. That I'm a loser."

"Well, that's the second thing that they've agreed on since starting Hogwarts," said Harry.

"What's the first?"

"That I'm also a loser. So that makes the two of us," he said with a smirk. "Hey. Come on. You want to watch Durmstrang and Beauxbatons arrive? Five Galleons if you can spit on Viktor Krum's head from up here.

Samuel snorted. "Why Viktor Krum? I know he's a Quidditch player, but isn't he a bit too old to go to school?"

"Nope," said Harry. "He's in his final year at Durmstrang. I did some research on who'd likely be entering in the competition in case I decided to enter, and Krum is by far and away the most likely Champion of Durmstrang. Oh. Others are probably going to enter as well but someone with Krum's prestige? He'll be their Champion. Guarenteed."

"And Beauxbatons?"

"Haven't the foggiest," said Harry, vaguely recalling a couple of names but not much beyond that. "I was planning to research them but I couldn't find anything about who enters, who's enrolled. Believe it or not the school most commonly associated with Dark Magic is easier to find out information about than the most prestigious school in France."

"Guess they want to keep an eye on Durmstrang in case someone's likely to turn evil," said Samuel. "Anyway. I have another question for you. Don't mind if you choose to answer or not. Are you going to enter? I know what Dad said, but he's probably not going to give you that money anyway, he's too stubborn, and…"

"I honestly still don't know," Harry said after a pause. "What do you think I should do?"

"Enter," said Samuel with a shrug. "Who cares what Dad says. You're still a Potter, and I think if you end up winning it he might even forgive you."

There was a pause for a second, and then both Samuel and Harry burst into simultaneous laughter at the thought of James actually changing his mind about something. "Hey look," Harry said after a while, hoping that Samuel would carry on the reference. "Is it a bird?"

"Is it a plane?" it wasn't Samuel, but Harper, who had again appeared out of nowhere. Seeing Harry's confused expression, she added, "There's this muggleborn in my year who's a massive fan of muggle superheroes. Won't stop going on about this Superman guy. He loves that stuff. Hey Sam. Harry."

The Beauxbatons students had arrived, and it was clear from the skies that they weren't coming in quietly. They arrived in a large carriage, no doubt bigger on the inside than on the outside, carried by mystical flying horses that certainly left an impression on the students below. Several loud, awed voices could be heard as the students arrived, and Harry said, "Beauxbatons. Has to be. Flamboyant, stylish, everything that Durmstrang isn't."

"Dad said that when he went to Durmstrang once to visit one of the former Death Eaters there, someone called Karkaroff," said Samuel. "They're pragmatic, cold and calculative. They get the job done and don't mess around."

"Wonder what they'll arrive in?"

"I don't know," Harry said, glancing down from the tower at the Beauxbatons carriage which students, mostly female and all wearing Blue, began to leave from. There was one girl at the front of the body who was being protected in a thick warm coat by her Headmistress, who looked far too big to be a normal human. As Hagrid approached to feed the horses, she greeted Dumbledore.

"That is one big woman," commented Harper. "She's got to be like, at least half giant or something."

"Yeah," Harry said, and silence resumed until after the arrival of the Durmstrang students in a large boat that looked more at home in the high seas than it did in the Lake. Clearing his throat, he brought back the conversation to the silent room, "Anyway. We should probably head back down to the Great Hall. They'll be waiting for us and three absent Potters are going to be super noticeable, especially if one of them's The Boy Who Lived. Wouldn't want to make a bad impression."

"Since when did you care about first impressions?" Harper said.

" _Since,_ " Harry said, with a broad smile, suddenly, getting hit with a spur of the moment idea. "I just decided to enter the Triwizard Tournament."

Harper and Samuel looked at each other, and it was Samuel who spoke first. "Hold on, you've just decided now? Like right now?"

"Yeah. I have just decided _now_. Got a problem with that?"

They both shook their heads, as pleased as Harry was that they were able to reconcile their relationships. "Alright then," the eldest Potter said, already at the top of the steps. "Let's go."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

Well, this is essentially a bridging the gap chapter that went on for a bit longer than I intended for it so it's now essentially split into two parts with the next bit dealing with the discovery of a different kind of map and the introductions of the Beauxbatons/Durmstrang students coming in properly next time as well as maybe some more Lupin stuff. It was important to get to grips Moody's class this time as well as introduce Sirius properly and build up the Potter siblings relationships. Sorry if you were expecting Samuel to be bashed consistently, that's not how things are going to play out, but their dynamic isn't always going to be fixed and will change over the course of the story so you can expect that to come. As of now I've got around twenty chapters planned out with a conclusion in mind but we'll see how things play out as this will largely just be a 'fourth' (in quotation marks because here Harry is in his sixth year) year story.

Also, thanks for all the reviews so far! Keep them coming.


	8. She's A Rainbow

**HYESTR-08**

 **She's A Rainbow**

 **I.**

Harry, Harper and Samuel arrived in the Great Hall at the same time as the other students. "I'll see you later," Harry told them, not sure if he would, as Dumbledore and the staff were filling in at the front of the room. There had been extra seats pulled up at the table and alongside several Ministry Staff including Barty Crouch Sr, Harry's father and James Potter stood along with Tonks as part of the key figures in their Auror taskforce. Moody sat with them and it was no surprise to see that he was helping out discussing the identity of the Man in the Suit, and it was likely that they had a list of potential figures drawn up already. Hopefully Harry's stint in Knockturn Alley had been enough to throw them off for now, but he remained unsure as to how things would play out. Regardless, he needed to find someone else to latch their suspicions on and quickly, just in case they connected the dots. Thankfully nobody had actually stood up and accused him just yet.

Harry sat down at the back of the table and noticed that a few more seats had been pulled up at the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables, no doubt catering for the fact that two extra schools would be filing in soon. It was Durmstrang who arrived first after Dumbledore welcomed them, as all looked relieved to be out of the relatively cold weather. They entered with a spectacular show of strength and force, carrying their staffs and wielding them with experience. The Durmstrang students were showing that they shouldn't be fought with, identifying that they were one collective unity. Harry couldn't help notice that Karkaroff's eyes lingered a little too long on that of Severus Snape, but very soon, they found their seats at the Slytherin table. Harry could already hear the not-so-subtle comments made by Ron Weasley about how Draco Malfoy was doing his best to get in Krum's good books. "I wish Weasley would shut up," said Cho Chang, who was a fifth year, and the star seeker of Ravenclaw's Quidditch Team. "It's almost as if he doesn't know they're predesignated to sit at their respective tables."

"He probably thinks that Malfoy paid to have Krum sit at his table," said another Ravenclaw student in her year whose name Harry didn't know. "Oh look. Here are the Beauxbatons students."

A group of blue-dress wearing, mostly female students headed into the room, lead by the half-giant Headmistress whose name Harry didn't know. They were gaining a lot of attention from the boys (and some of the girls), and Harry didn't even have to look around to know that the lead one at the front with the Headmistress was probably a Veela. She was blonde, and caught the most attention as she went across the room. Interestingly Harry noticed as he dared a glance that her hands were concealed in blue gloves, and she was the only one wearing them. "Who's that?" asked Roger Davis, next to him. "She's beautiful."

"She's a Veela," said Harry, dryly, earning several whispers at his observation. He looked disinterested which was a far cry from the rest of the students, as he personally wanted to get this ceremony over and done with. The sooner people submitted their names into the Hat the better. "You're meant to think that."

"Shut up, freak," Davis shot back at him. "You're lucky that you're still allowed to sit at the table after what happened with the whole Chamber of Secrets. If it were up to me, well – let's say you wouldn't be here anymore." 

They all knew the Chamber of Secrets incident. Once it was quickly established that Harry was a parselmouth, that made him public enemy number one despite the fact that he had alibis for pretty much all of the attacks at that time during his fourth year. It had gotten so bad that only Dumbledore and Flitwick, his head of House kept him from a potential expulsion, and as a result he earned himself a compensation for his troubles when his name was cleared. There were still those who thought something was up with Harry after all these time, and particularly the older students, and Roger Davis, the Quidditch Captain, was very much their ringleader. Despite the fact that he had no interest in the Cup, Davis had made sure that as long as he was at Hogwarts, Harry would not be on the team.

There was a lot more continental food being served on the table this year, with the House Elves in the Kitchen below producing a whole variety of foreign food that no doubt surprised the students. Harry helped himself to plenty as though it were nothing out of the ordinary, and was quickly taking them in. It wasn't long before the Beauxbatons students, following Dumbledore's customary welcome speech and the reissue of the warning about the Man in the Suit, began to tuck into their food and make themselves at home. The blonde Veela found herself seated a few spaces array from Harry and looked surprised to see that he was managing to contain his affection for her, when the rest of the Hogwarts students went bright red every time she looked at them. "So are you a Potter?" she said, slowly, her French accent clear and distinctive, the S coming off as more like a Z. "Is it true about the fact that your brother stopped He Who Must Not Be Named?"

"I guess," said Harry with a shrug. There was a distinct look of surprise on her face when he responded, not displaying any reaction at all. Trying to make light conversation he added, "How was the journey?" 

"Uneventful," the girl said, helping herself to some food. "My name is Fleur Delacour, in case you were wondering."

Harry could already tell that he was starting to get a few jealous looks from other Ravenclaw's nearby him. "Harry, by the way. I guess you already know my surname."

"I do," she said, and the more Harry noticed about the girl, the clearer it was that she was doing her best to avoid physical contact with anybody. Even just an accidental brush she pulled back on instinct, away from them. "Although your brother is admittedly more popular, it is hard not to ignore the siblings."

"Tell that to my parents," said Harry, taking some mussels and pouring them onto his plate. "But yeah. Are you thinking of entering the Tournament? It'd be nice to know the competition."

She chuckled at that. "You could say that. If that's the case… Should I assume you will be entering?"

Roger Davis chose that moment to intervene. "Potter will not be entering the Triwizard Tournament if Ravenclaw House has anything to say about it. He is a disgrace to our community and… around these parts it would be considered _unwise_ to associate with him."

"I can choose who I wish to associate myself, thank you very much," Fleur said, causing the Quidditch Captain to nod and sit back down. To Harry she said, "Are they like that all the time?"

"Usually," he said. "Some of the younger students aren't that bad. It's mostly the older ones who… It doesn't matter. I have a private room so I'm spared the worst of it and I don't go back there that often anyway."

"What do you do when you're not there?" Fleur asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, in the mornings, I run," said Harry. "And in the afternoon, I study. Sometimes I go to a muggle cinema in a nearby town at the weekend, it's actually not that far from Hogwarts. They usually show old films there, I'm talking the classics. Have you seen _The Umbrellas of Cherbourg_?"

She looked confused. "No. My knowledge of muggle cinema is very… limited. As a whole, Our family tends to avoid most muggle culture."

"You're missing out," said Harry. "It's a good musical. Classic. And French. They're airing it at the weekend. I'd invite you to come, but…"

"That would be awfully premature of you, Mr. Potter," said Fleur. "Considering after all, we have only just met."

"Well, the offer's open," said Harry with a shrug.

"I'll think about it," she said. "I like doing spontaneous things. You did however mention that in the mornings you run. Where?"

"Around Hogwarts usually," said Harry. "Normally can get in a good few laps before class starts."

"Interesting," said Fleur. "Well. In that case, I may not attend the Cinema with you, but I will certainly partake in some exercise. Would be helpful to get into shape before the Tournament begins."

"So you are entering."

"Of course," said Fleur, a mischievous smile on her face. "Otherwise… Why would I be here?"

 **II.**

 _Later…_

Roger Davis pinned Harry up against the wall, holding his wand close to his neck. Harry should have seen something like this coming, it had happened before three years ago, and in the years since. Every time Harry spoke out, did something that could be considered anti-Ravenclaw, or more accurately, anti-Roger Davis, Roger Davis acted and acted decisively. It was common knowledge that the sons of Death Eaters were in Slytherin but that did not mean there were no bullies in other houses, and if Roger Davis was one thing above all, it was a bully. His friends had managed grab both of Harry's arms and his wand, taking it from him like it was his most important possession in the world. "Bad move, Potter," said Roger, "What were you thinking? Embarrassing yourself like that. You should know when to step out of line by now, or do we have to remind you?"

He kicked Harry in the crotch causing him to double over in pain. Already, Davis has hit him on the nose, which was bleeding hard and would need healing. And the worst part of it all was the fact that if it were any other year, Harry would be able to react without consequence once he got his wand back, but now, especially if he was found to be a skilled fighter in muggle methods, Sirius, his father and Tonks would make him public enemy number one within seconds. Even if he hadn't been the Man in the Suit, Davis would have wanted retribution anyway, and would have likely informed them that he would be a prime candidate to divert their attention. If only he hadn't been incredibly smart, Harry thought. Davis would have been a Slytherin. "Okay, now, listen to me," said Davis. "Listen closely. You're not going to talk to that girl anymore. You're not going to speak out of term _anymore._ You're only to speak to other Ravenclaws when spoken to, and outside of your siblings, because I'm being nice, you're to keep other interactions with the rest of your house to a minimum. And don't think I won't know, Potter. You know how many people around here don't like you. News will be passed around Hogwarts of this, and I expect you to comply whilst the Tournament is being hosted."

"What about After the Tournament?" Harry couldn't help but ask, knowing that this wouldn't matter that much to him anyway as he only spoke to his siblings and Tonks anyway. And potentially Fleur, but he could live with that. It wasn't as if anyone got up at 6 o'clock in the morning anyway before lessons started, and neither did they attend muggle cinemas a few miles away from Hogsmeade.

"Then depending on how well things play out for you, I might restrict my limitations," said Davis. "And just to give you a chance now, I'm going to give you five seconds to run again. Here. You want your wand back? Take it."

Davis tossed Harry his wand, which he collected. He thought about hexing Davis there and then, sending him back across the room, but not even he was that fast to counter the inevitable strikes from his friends next to him. Harry seized his opportunity to run, and immediately was blasted back across the hallway by Davis, collapsing to his feet. "Sorry," Davis said. "I lied. Zero seconds."

Harry climbed to his feet again, and nearly at the end of the corridor, allowed himself to get blasted back across the room again by Davis. He had to make sure that in the future he allowed himself to be bullied by Davis in some place where Sirius, Tonks or James would see him – therefore this would instantly throw off their suspicions of him being The Man in the Suit. And maybe even plant them on Davis if he could. Even though the Man in the Suit was judged on far higher crimes, Davis deserved everything that was coming to him. After all, Harry was not the first person that he had bullied, and as long as he was at Hogwarts, he would not be the last. Noticing that the hallway was coming up Harry was first able to conjure up smoke that was powerful enough to obscure his appearance, and then he followed it by casting a brief duplication spell to create a short, temporary mirror of himself, a realistic reflection that looked every bit as good as the real thing that would all but fool Davis, even if it would only last for a few seconds, it would be enough to get the Ravenclaw off his back. He instructed the reflection to the run to the right whilst he ran to the left, and immediately ducked inside a broom cupboard, thankfully not hiding anyone else already.

"Where'd he go?" shouted Davis at the top of his voice, glancing down the corridors as Harry's mirror vanished from view. "Potter? You think you can hide from me?"

Harry realised that he'd backed himself into a corner and it wouldn't be long that Davis checked the cupboard anyway, just to make sure. He stumbled back on instinct and ended up crashing through multiple wooden boards, realising that the cupboard might not have been as enclosing as it appeared. Realising that he had just stumbled into one secret passageway that looked unfamiliar at a first glance, he quickly cast a spell to reassemble the wood in case Davis followed the sound of the noise, and began to head way from the entrance as quickly as possible. There were two ways in the passageway as well, left or right, with the right opening into an increasingly downward spiral which he continued to take. He couldn't help but notice just how large it was as well, built for something ten times larger than a human. _Something ten times larger than a human._ " _Lumos_ ," Harry muttered, his wand illuminating the tunnel space that began to descend and was becoming rapidly steeper by the second. Sooner rather than later he found himself slipping and sliding down, not attempting to resist the drop, safe in the knowledge that as long as he treated it like an actual slide, it would be alright.

The tunnel, which doubled up as a slide led him down all the way to the bottom of the Castle, and he landed with a thump on the ground floor in a heap of mud, and after climbing to his feet, he realised that this must be one of the entrances to the Chamber of Secrets that the Basilisk used to navigate the school unseen when Harry was in his fourth year. He didn't even bother to try and communicate to Lupin to let him know that he'd stumbled back in the chamber, there was no chance that even without the anti-muggle technology installed around the place that he would get reception this far beneath the castle. The floor and the ceiling was damp as well, so he theorised that he might even be beneath the Great Lake, which wasn't at all unexpected. He remembered being too caught up in an attempt to rescue Ginny Weasley to worry that much about his surroundings, but now that the Basilisk was dead, he could attempt to fully explore the Chamber of Secrets and its contents more. Maybe this was a place that he could run in the future without risk of observation from one of Roger Davis' group? After all, nobody used the Chamber anymore. It brought back bad memories.

However, for Harry, those bad memories weren't an issue. He had never known the petrified students particularly well after all. He quickly brushed the thought out of his mind and reached into his pocket, realising that whilst muggle technology may not work in Hogwarts, magically enhanced radios could, and with that, he could play some music to lighten up the atmosphere in the chamber of secrets a bit more. Soon, Warren Zevon's _Werewolves of London_ soonfilled the room, something that Harry mused Salazar Slytherin would no doubt be rolling in his grave if he knew what was currently defiling his most sacred location. Harry had been able to carry the boombox in his pocket as it had been magically enhanced so it was bigger on the inside than on the outside and with it came the freedom to store more things than necessary. Climbing over some fallen rubble, Harry began to recognise the location more and more. He remembered running around these corridors when he was younger, away from the Basilisk, terrified for his life, whilst his brother faced the young version of Tom Riddle in the Chamber. He wondered briefly if someone was still using the Chamber and had taken Riddle's book, but Riddle's book had been removed from the Chamber following its apparent destruction. That was of no consequence to him. Out of the corner of his eye he felt like someone was watching him and again felt his hairs stand up on end for all but a second, but a quick _Homenum Revelio_ spell revealed that there was nobody there, confirming his suspicions that it had just been a fragment of his imagination.

Harry approached the statue of Salazar Slytherin in the very centre of the Chamber and noticed for a second the corpse of the Basilisk in the centre of the room. He remembered watching his brother defeat it, heroically with the help of Fawkes the Phoenix. He remembered being chastised for his parents for not helping his brother more, despite the fact he had been responsible for destroying the Diary in the first place, after their positions had been switched in the end game. Riddle had realised which one of them was the true Boy Who Lived, and had launched his beast on Samuel. Harry's planned diversion had paid off for a matter of moments, and in the chaos, the Diary had been stopped. Or so he thought.

"Let's see what we have here," Harry said for a second after putting the boombox down, noticing a lever buried deep within the mouth of the statue that he had not recognised before. He decided to be cautious and use his wand to cast a spell to pull the wooden lever rather than activate itself lest Slytherin have a trap installed, and it quickly proved right as several spikes shot out around it that would have all but cut his arm off and left him trapped. "Okay…"

His next solution was to create a shield around his arm as the spikes around the room set back into place in their holes, waiting for the next unsuspecting victim to try them. "Here goes nothing," he said again to nobody in particular, and reached in, with the shield charm working to great effect. He pulled the lever down, giving it a yank, and then was able to withdraw his arm seconds later, hearing a loud shudder beneath him as something began to move. He quickly moved out of the way as the floor literally opened out beneath him, leading him down a stairwell to a cellar beneath the Chamber's main room. Harry looked behind him to double check that nobody had appeared out of nowhere, before taking an unlit torch from the top of the stairs and proceeding to use it as his own. The spell worked this time and soon the fire was more effective, as he began to head down beneath the Chamber, venturing into the unknown, the sound of the Warren Zevon playing in the background and slowly fading away. It was a mixtape so he had no idea what would be greeting him when he came back up the stairs. Well, he did have an idea of the twelve other songs on the mixtape, but he would have to wait and see.

The room at the bottom of the stairs was pitch black and only illuminated when he placed the torch in a pit of oil, which caused the whole room to illuminate through guided pathways, bringing a flickering aura to the room that wouldn't have looked out of place in a secret treasure room in an Indiana Jones film. There were several rare paintings that aligned the walls too, of famous magical, mostly pureblood figures. They were dusty and on top of that magical, so were as startled to see Harry as he was startled to see them. "What are you doing down here?" one of them said, a famous Bohemian Count whose name was partly obscured from range. "How dare you defile The Great Chamber of Salazar Slytherin! If I had a wand I would curse you right now for even _daring_ to set foot in this room!" 

"Well, I found it," said Harry, "And Slytherin's been dead for centuries, and his ancestors are all but gone, so therefore, as nobody else has discovered this room, I declare it mine, by the Law of Sir Francis Drake." 

Harry was banking on the fact that they would not know who Francis Drake was having been around even before him, and even if some of the paintings had existed at the time of Francis Drake, they would not have paid attention to him. "It was introduced in the Nineteen Eighties," he elaborated, but before he could continue, another painting spoke up, in a posh, upper class and British accent. The kind that Americans imagined all British people had only to be disappointed when the first person they met was someone from somewhere like Essex.

"I'm sorry, did you say _the_ Nineteen Eighties? As in the decade? And you imply that the Nineteen Eighties was even further back in the past?"

"Yeah," said Harry, not recognising the woman. "It's currently Nineteen Ninety-Four."

"Oh my. I have so much of unrecorded history to catch up upon. Who is the residing Monarch of England? Does King Arthur's bloodline still reign?" The woman asked. "What is the current statue of the wizarding world?"

"Queen Elizabeth II, no, and intact," said Harry, answering her questions at once. This caused several other whispers around the room. "Now. If you'll excuse me, I might need some help as the new owner of this Chamber. Would you care to inform me of the most valuable item in this place? Apart from yourselves of course? What would Salazar Slytherin wish so badly to protect that he kept hidden from even his heir?"

"His dying wish," whispered the woman again. "His _dying_ wish. You see, Salazar died in this room. Legend says that he left Hogwarts, but… but, we know better. We know things, you see, and even though it may have been thousands of years since a living person last set foot in this room, we remember. Of how the unthinkable happened, my friend. The stories of Salazar Slytherin in his final days are often garbled, filled with lies and over-exaggerations of the truth. But one fact is true that is known to only us. He died down here. In this room."

"So his body is buried somewhere in this room?" Harry's eyebrows shot up at this. Of course, it would be nothing but skeleton now, but the mere opportunity to look at a founder of Hogwarts in person was something that no living person on this Earth had experienced. The only memories came from the various Ghosts of Hogwarts, but they could not tell you where the founders died. Not even Godric Gryffindor, the most brave and noblest of them all.

"Not just somewhere," said the woman. "He is buried right there. In that private room, there."

Harry began to advance. "But you don't want to know?" asked the Count, butting in. "We haven't had anyone to talk to in thousands of _years._ We know everything about each other and everything that we know about the world. We haven't told this secret to a living person at all. Ever. And seeing as you are the new owner of this Chamber, we must abide by the laws of the land, whatever they must be."

"Sure," said Harry, shrugging his shoulders. "What did Slytherin change his mind on?"

" _Muggles,_ " whispered the Count as though it were a dirty word. "On his deathbed, Salazar Slytherin changed his mind on Muggles. After all these years. I know, it's hard to believe, given that he introduced the Serpent just to persecute the mudbloods. But. _But._ Something happened. Something. Someone convinced him otherwise."

"Who?"

"Nobody knows," said the Count. "He said he was a stranger. A Lonely Man, lost to time. I don't know. I never saw him. His mind was made up before he came to the Chamber. But the man convinced Slytherin that the muggles were valuable. With just one word."

"What was the word?"

"I don't know, I'm not some kind of prophet," said The Count. "And besides, my memory is not quite as brilliant as it once was."

"It was never brilliant all!" The woman hissed. "He's useless. He's the only one who heard the person speak. He's the closest to the exit!"

"Has it ever occurred to you that you could leave this room?" Harry asked, glancing at the paintings. "There must be some other paintings that you could go to."

"There isn't," said The Count, sadly. "It was Slytherin's other final command. We are doomed to settle in this place forever. Nobody knows the spell he used to seal us here. He wanted protection, apparently. People to watch over him after he died. He said that someone would come along eventually, and he needed people to remember him."

"He wanted people to remember the Day he changed his mind," said the woman. "And so here we are. I wonder if the curse is now gone, my friends. Can we move? Have we said enough?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out," said Harry. "What will you do if you can get out? Can you promise me something if you do?"

"Of course," said the woman. "If you are the one to let us free then surely we will abide by your wishes."

"Could you not tell anyone about this place?"

This was as expected, greeted with several whispers. But eventually they all came to a unanimous conclusion. "Very well," said Harry, adopting a more formal stance, as if that had any impact on the situation. "I, Harry Potter, do solemnly declare that I have heard the Last Statement of Salazar Slytherin from his those intrusted to deliver the message. I absolve you of your commitment to the Hogwarts Founder and grant you leave of your duties, of which you have held in high regard for centuries. I thank you for your service."

A loud gust of air echoed throughout the room, similar to the one that had greeted Harry when he opened the Tomb, and after a few moments of awkward silence, the woman was the first to try to see if she could leave the room and head off to another painting. She vanished from sight seconds later, with a loud scream of delight following in her wake. This caused several other whispers to erupt around the room and seconds later the paintings all tumbled out of their portraits one by one, exclaiming their gratitude to Harry for freeing them from this burden. No doubt Dumbledore would be surprised once he learnt about the several extra portraits that appeared out of nowhere, but with luck he would treat it as one of the many oddities at Hogwarts. However, one portrait remained, which Harry approached, looking at with interest. "Take it you're not going to leave?"

"I'm not quite sure if the world is ready for me out there anymore," said the man. "Nineteen Ninety-Four. You must have a new dating system if it's been that long. I still remember the old one, and I'm the oldest portrait here."

It was the only portrait without a name. Harry took a long hard look at the man. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"No, you probably wouldn't," said the painting. "I've forgotten my name, after all. And nobody remembers someone who forgets their own name. I'm afraid I cannot be of much help to you. The other Portraits weren't especially keen on me being here, you see. I was different to them even before Slytherin changed his mind. Held different views. They persecuted me for that."

"If you held different views to Slytherin why were you here?"

"I don't know," said the painting. "Regardless. I know enough about him that he was swayed to change his mind. By who, I don't know, and I will most likely never know unless there was a painting outside that saw the whole thing. But I suppose not. Either way, it doesn't bother me much. Salazar changed his mind. That's what you should know. Do with the information what you wish."

"Don't suppose you know what's in the coffin?" asked Harry.

"Apart from his corpse?" said the painting. "No. Sorry. He was a private man. Apart from the whole mind changing thing. You'll have to find that out for yourself."

Harry nodded, and headed into the room, quickly gaining Goosebumps by the second. "I guess I'll see you in a bit."

The man in the painting merely chuckled at this. "I suppose you shall."

Harry pushed open the wooden door into Slytherin's private room, which had a green carpet still maintained in immaculate condition, no doubt preserved by some spell, and was lined with several over-elaborate structures around the coffin, mostly detailing the man's obsessions with snakes. Harry used the spell to move aside the coffin's lid with ease, not encountering any resistance, and stared in awe at the skeleton of the founder beneath him. It had been kept in relatively good condition, no doubt through magic, and but one thing that drew Harry's attention almost instantly was what the bones were holding, something that was remarkably still intact, after all these years.

A piece of parchment, kept to life by some no doubt magical force. Harry brushed the dust off the parchment and unfolded it with care, noting that it still remained intact. He unfolded it to find that a map of Hogwarts School soon was drawn into its pages in perfect detail, moving around the screen, with a few words written at the top in perfectly neat handwriting. ' _To the person who receives this message,'_ they said. ' _You will know by now that I have changed my mind on the subject that I am most known for. I regret my actions and I know now the hatred that muggleborns will experience coming to Hogwarts school will only grow in future generations. There may even be attacks, and my heir may well unfortunately take it upon himself to unleash my Basilisk on Hogwarts Grounds. Should he be stopped, the school may need further protection still. So, I have created this map to protect those that I could not.'_

Harry noticed that there were a few flashes of red on the map that displayed certain names. One of them that sprung to mind was somebody who Harry recognised instantly as someone who had been petrified, a certain Colin Creevey, who at the time had been in his first year and now was in his third. His name flashed up in red permanently, "Okay…" Harry said, still left breathtaken by the events that had unfolded in the past half an hour. The last few words of Slytherin left something that combined with the evidence presented in the map left little to chance, Creevey was a muggleborn, and due to his status, he was somehow under threat from an unknown force. Harry wondered, still not quite believing that Slytherin had had actually changed his mind at all. What could be a serious enough threat to target someone like Creevey that had not been alerted to Dumbledore? Either way, Harry knew that it was something that he had to act upon before something happened, even if it meant putting his identity as the Man in the Suit at risk.

He smiled at the map that he now owned, a plan formulating in his head. He could make this work.

 **III.**

The Owlery was something that was a constant source of inspection by the wizards and witches that were a part of the anti-vigilante task force at Hogwarts and it was clear that if the Man in the Suit was here he was likely to have help from outside. It was Tonks who was currently going through the various letters addressed to various students and staff, something that was technically illegal but was swept under the rug by James who had decided that this might help them find information on whoever the identity of the Man in the Suit was and therefore it was in his view, perfectly acceptable, and as a result Tonks now found herself working her way through the _P's,_ having approached them through alphabetical order. Surprisingly she stumbled across one letter addressed to Harry, who she remembered saying aloud that he had never had much in the way of deliveries at Hogwarts, even from his own parents. So, upon further inspection she took it into her gloved hands and turned it over, carefully using a spell to open the envelope neatly and take out the paper inside.

She read the words with ever growing curiosity, not recognising the handwriting and became more confused by the lack of identity of the sender. A lack of return address could be explained by a smart Owl who knew where to go, but no sender was even more confusing. Instead, there were just two simple words, at least on paper. There could be more hidden behind the text but for now that was it, a simple message that revealed virtually nothing at all.

' _They're real'._

 **TO BE CONTINUNED…**

So, Fleur makes an entrance (albeit a brief one) and we establish Roger Davis as someone who doesn't particularly like Harry. The Map is something borrowed from _Person of Interest_ in case anyone was wondering, substituting out the Machine for something more appropriate. More explanation about the map itself will be revealed in the next few chapters as well so stay tuned for that. More about Lupin's message as well will be revealed shortly, too.


	9. Lights, Camera, Action!

**Have You Ever Seen The Rain?**

 **Chapter Nine: Lights, Camera, Action!**

 **I.**

Tonks and Sirius stood together over the balcony looking down on the students who were headed out for their Care of Magical Creatures lesson with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. It was a group of sixth years, who were by this point well versed in Hagrid's eccentric oddities, and it was the shared class of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, a common pairing of most of the classes for the sixth years by pure fluke of lesson design. "I found this," said Tonks, handing Sirius the letter in her hand. "And I didn't know what to make of it, so I uh, came to you."

Sirius took the letter and opened it, recognising the handwriting almost instantly. He'd copied off that handwriting several times in the past, far too many times to forget who it belonged to, and said, "So… why would Remus be writing to Harry?"

"Remus… wait, Remus Lupin wrote this?"

"Of course. The handwriting's obvious," he said.

"You got that from two words?"

Sirius smiled. "Yeah. But _They're Real,_ though. What does that mean? What's real? Dammit. This is my fault. When we were the Marauders I'd suggest that we kept our letters short and secret, and normally use some kind of code with them to prevent detection just in case somebody was watching. But I assume you've tried all the normal spells?"

"Yeah. I tried them. Nothing comes up, no hidden words. It's just these two," said Tonks. "Normally I wouldn't have bothered, but I've been having a few suspicions lately about Harry."

"You think he's our vigilante?" Sirius said, in somewhat disbelief, looking down on the teenager who walked out of the door beneath them and onto the castle ground, oblivious to the fact that they were watching him. "No way. He was at the Castle, remember? When we raided the Auction House. The House Elves reported that everyone was in bed. And besides, why would Remus help him? They don't know each other that well. Hell, I don't even know why Moony would write to him in the first place in an unofficial capacity." 

"You could always ask him," said Tonks with a shrug. "Remus, I mean. Just say that you're on official Government business and want to know why he's collaborating with Harry. You don't have to mention what's in the letter."

"Yeah, because it's illegal," said Sirius, "He wouldn't tell me anyway. When I spoke to him at the Birthday Party he just seemed so _distant._ Like he wasn't part of the Marauders anymore."

"Well, Peter Pettigrew wasn't part of the Marauders anymore. Maybe people change. Hell, James isn't who he used to be, either," said Tonks. "Haven't you noticed? I'm no expert, but no normal parent says they're going to disinherit a son just because they _might_ enter in the Triwizard Tournament."

"I was able to work that out for myself, thanks," said Sirius. "I mean, I'm not exactly one to judge what _normal_ parents do. But after all, he's an outsider. Like me, I guess. And I don't know, part of me actually kind of wants him to enter the tournament just to see James' reaction. Imagine if James disowns him and he wins." 

"This Tournament is actually pretty good bait, you know," pointed out Tonks. "If he is the Man in the Suit he'll have to show off some of his skills to stand a chance."

"I like the way you think," said Sirius. "So for our sake, let's hope he enters and that it's him. It would make our jobs a lot easier. Do you have any possible candidates if it's not?"

"A couple," said Tonks. "But I don't know. There's still too many unknowns. Hell, it could be Draco Malfoy for all we know. Maybe this whole, look at me, I'm an arrogant bastard thing is just an act."

Sirius snorted at this. "I'll believe it when I see it. Anyway. I'm going to go and pay Moony a visit. Let me know if anything happens while I'm gone. Make sure you put that letter back and remove fingerprint evidence."

"Will do," said Tonks, as Sirius left, leaving her alone, her eyes cast firmly on Harry as he, separate from the rest of his year, began to gently touch what could only be a Thestral, which apparently was the subject of discussion of Hagrid's class for the day. Given that she was willing to bet that Harry was one of the few people who had actually seen death in that class, she was kind of curious to see how Hagrid would handle a lesson like this.

 **II.**

It turned out that Care of Magical Creatures was a lot more boring when only three people in the class, with one of them being the teacher, could actually see the animal that they were dealing with. Harry spent the whole day fixated on Salazar Slytherin's map, the one in his pocket, folded away nice and tightly so nobody would find it. He had still received no word from Remus but was determined to check the Owlery when he could, but for now he had more pressing matters at hand and that was finding out what danger Colin Creevey was in and from who. The map hadn't specified either of these things, making it far more complicated for the eldest Potter child. He had managed to track Colin down to a Herbology class with the Slytherins, where he was just leaving with his friends. However before he could follow Colin any further, Harper approached, cheerful and optimistic. "Hey, Harry. What are you doing down here?"

"I wanted to ask Professor Sprout a few questions about my herbology assignment," said Harry with a shrug. "But it looks like she's too busy."

"Maybe you could ask Neville," said Harper. "He's in Samuel's year and actually pretty good friends with him if I remember correctly."

"Thanks," said Harry, as he glanced over at Colin. "You don't know Colin, by any chance?"

"Yeah, why?" Harper said, raising an eyebrow at this. "I mean, he's a bit weird, always carries his camera around. But he's cool. Seems a lot of people have alliterative names in his year that takes some getting used to. Colin Creevey, Luna Lovegood…"

"It's pretty common in the wizarding world," said Harry. "Not just his year. I mean, look at the four houses. Anyway. You think he might have gotten himself into trouble with anyone recently? My friend seemed pretty worried for him."

"Now that you mention it," said Harper. "I did see him with a black eye once but he said it was an accident. There was this one time though. He got in a fight with Ron Weasley about Sam. Apparently, Ron thought that Sam was fed up with Colin constantly taking pictures of him so went to remind him not to."

"Guess Weasley can be a bit overzealous at times. Thanks. I'll be sure to let my friend know." 

"Great to see that you're starting to make friends," said Harper with a smile, as Colin headed off around the corner. "Anyway, I've got Herbology now with the Slytherins, so unless you want to put up with future Death Eaters I suggest you get going."

"I'll see you around," said Harry, smiling, and heading off, knowing where Samuel would be at this period after hearing a fourth year Ravenclaw talking about Potions with Snape and the Gryffindors at about this time in the common room earlier. He headed across the castle to the basement, past a bunch of Beauxbatons students who were gossiping as he arrived. He paid no attention to their gossip, but caught the words, ' _Fleur',_ and _'Triwizard'._ He also thought that he spotted a small bald man in the background, but by the time he got the chance for a closer look the man was gone. He had been seeing a lot of these mysterious people around Hogwarts lately, and was just currently viewing it as either something that was an after-effect of the Spear of Destiny or just his imagination, and was beginning to make notes on his hands whenever someone who shouldn't be there showed up. That took his tally up to five since arriving at Hogwarts, and he had to follow this up with Remus whenever he could. It was entirely probable however that their mail against regulations was being monitored, so he might have had to be careful about what he sent from Hogwarts going forward.

He made his way across the castle towards the Potions room and came across it at exactly the same time that a group of students were beginning to file out of it. He caught his brother head out on his own and ducked around the corner to avoid getting detected, and swallowed his polyjuice potion using the hair that he had stolen from Roger Davis for a very such occasion. If he was going to act as The Man in the Suit in Hogwarts to scare Ron Weasley off, he had to be extra sure that nobody connected Harry with the situation. "Weasley!" he called once he had transformed into Davis, keeping his distance until he did, thankful that both him and Davis were very much the same height and build, otherwise his lack of suitable clothing choices would have been unexpected. "A word?"

Ron was currently with Seamus Finnegan and shrugged, motioning to catch them up later and followed him away from the group. "What the hell's all this about, Davis? It's bad enough that Sam doesn't like me anymore but I've also got to catch trouble from you? I thought our deal still struck."

 _'Deal,_ ' Harry thought, _'What deal?'_ , and took this of the opportunity to learn more. "Remind me again the terms and conditions of our deal. It's been so long, I might have forgotten them."

"So long? It was only last year," said Ron with a shrug. "Okay. So basically, after the whole mess with Sam I needed protection from your lot. So we struck a deal. I'd help keep you informed about what happens in Gryffindor, and you keep your guys off me. What's changed?"

"I don't want you to inform me of what happens in Gryffindor anymore," said Harry, sensing an opportunity to thwart Roger Davis further. "Our deal's done. Don't worry, my guys won't hurt you. I've got what I wanted. Now. I need to ask you a question. About Colin Creevey."

"What sort of question? If you're talking about the punch then I still feel pretty bad, but I haven't hurt him since. And why would you care? He's a Gryffindor."

"I care because someone's going to attack him again," said Harry. "If they haven't already, and I don't want people who are protected hurt."

"Wait, Colin's protected? Is that who you're replacing me with?"

"I'm not replacing you with anyone," said Harry, quickly covering his tracks. He didn't care if Colin was actually an informant or not for Roger, he just needed an excuse to make sure that he wasn't hurt. "He was already a mole. Get the word out. If anyone targets Colin I'll hold them personally responsible. Do that for me and maybe I'll consider letting you back in."

"Right," said Ron, anxiously, nodding, looking back and forward, noticing that he was alone in the corridor. "Um. Thanks. When should I tell you next?"

"I'll find you. Don't come up to me in person," warned Harry, and quickly vanished into the shadows of the dungeon, leaving a shook Ron in his wake. Harry had done his best to put on the impression of the menacing Roger Davis and now was reaping the benefits of it, because once Ron got the word out that Colin was to be protected, it would make sure that unless it was Roger attacking him on his own, it would be someone who wasn't part of his group, which narrowed it down to essentially Draco Malfoy or a portion of Gryffindor and the Hufflepuffs. Now, he could rule out the Hufflepuffs almost instantly, they were the only house without a track record of bullies, and it was unlikely to be a Gryffindor who didn't collaborate with Davis to some extent, because those that weren't involved were usually the Weasley Twins and his siblings. And he knew his siblings well enough to know they wouldn't hurt Samuel. The Weasley Twins he could deal with, and Malfoy wouldn't be too much of a problem to intimidate on top of this. He brought up the map to check if the red threat mark on Colin's name was still there once he was out of view of anyone else.

It was clear, now blending in with the rest of the students on the staff, a blank colour that matched the same one that belonged to students who weren't at risk. Marvelling at how the map could accurately predict what happened that quickly, and the knock-on effects of his decision leading to positive repercussions rather than negative ones, filled him with confidence. This saving people thing could be done, and it could be done without anyone actually knowing that The Man in the Suit was at Hogwarts at all.

Following the incident with Weasley, and once his polyjuice had worn off, Harry headed up to the Owlery to get a potential letter from Remus, with a gap in his timetable. He was relieved to see that there had indeed been one there, and he eagerly unfolded the envelope. _'They're real,_ ' he read, in his head. It was a shame The Professor had not written anymore words but he could understand his preference to be brief and succinct, especially with the likelihood that eyes other than his own had read the letter. It didn't take much of a jump for Harry to notice that the letter was talking about the dreams being caused by the Spear of Destiny, but he needed to know more. Did Grindelwald know how to stop them? Was there a way to stop them? It had been a simple message, but had simply concerned Harry's worse fears. He sat down overlooking the forbidden forest in a frustrated slump, having nothing else to do but admire the view.

"Hey," said Tonks, appearing out of nowhere. "Bad news?"

"Yeah," said Harry, and realising that if she knew what the lie was, there was no point in lying about it. She would have taken it to Lupin as well to find out, and was able to come up with an excuse fairly quickly. "Um, I managed to get Professor Lupin to watch a B-Movie called _Piranha_ last year during a detention, and once I heard that it could be getting remade, I wanted to know if the rumours were actually true. Turns out they were, it's becoming a TV series."

"Huh," said Tonks, and Harry wasn't sure if she believed him at all. He had seen _Piranha_ and it was getting a remake, so if she decided to double check the rumours then they would have at least some note. He would have to make a mental note to tell the Professor at some point to add _Piranha_ to the list of movies to watch, even if he was fairly sure he wouldn't enjoy it. "Go figure, I guess. Is it any good?"

"Not really, but it's loads of fun," said Harry. "You watch muggle movies much?"

"I heard about them," said Tonks. "Never watched them."

"Oh, in that case. You should totally start with the classics, you know, the silent films. Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton did a lot of them. There's _The General,_ and _City Lights…_ "

"I'll make sure to look them up," said Tonks. "What lesson do you have next?"

"Arithmancy," said Harry. "But that's not until later, so I figured I came up here. You caught your guy yet?"

"No," said Tonks. "But we're making some inroads. Sirius has gone back down south to follow up on a lead. Oops. I probably shouldn't have told you that."

"Don't worry, It's not as if I'm going to be able to tell anyone, am I?" Harry said with a smirk, and she joined in with a brief chuckle.

 **III.**

It was raining in the relatively small South-West town of Devon, Tiverton, that played host to Remus Lupin. He figured he'd pick somewhere where the magical community was fairly small as to not draw that much attention when he "werewolfed-out" as Harry put it, even though he was still getting a steady dose of potion from Snape despite how things had ended last year, it was best to keep out in the middle of nowhere lest something go wrong. His house was on a hilltop as well which gave him a good position to survey any visitors arriving from the road below, and was surprised to see Sirius Black heading up the pathway to meet him. Once the door opened and Sirius was invited inside, the man removed his soaking wet cloak, eager to be on the inside and out of the cold. "Ah, Remus. Apologies for meeting you on such a short notice."

"It's alright, it's not like I have much to do these days," said Remus, glancing across at the muggle television in the corner of the room that had been a gift from Harry along with a VHS player and a few portions of videos. He had made sure to lock the door on the room containing the more advanced and high-tech goods that he used to help Harry, as soon as he had spotted Sirius approaching. "How are you? We haven't spoken since the party."

"I'm good, thanks. Going back to Hogwarts has got me thinking," said Sirius. "I should probably go and say hello to old friends more often. I wonder though, if you could help me with a few questions? Purely off the record, of course? Just a chat between old friends, and that." 

"Sure, I could help. What with?"

"I've been assigned this year to Hogwarts to deal with The Investigation concerning The Man in the Suit. The vigilante. You've heard of him?"

"Vague mentions in the _Daily Prophet,_ " said Remus, careful not to give away any information more than necessary. "But nothing more than that. Why?"

"I was just following up on something," said Sirius. "Has Harry Potter been collaborating with you lately?"

"Yes," said Remus, knowing that Sirius had most likely read his letter and recognised the handwriting, so there was no point in lying. "He's a gifted student, you know Sirius. I write to him where possible, give him advice on potential career goals. I reckon he could become a brilliant Auror one day."

"If James will let him," said Sirius. "He's becoming more and more restricted in what the boy does now. I don't know what he'll do in the future, and it's got me worried. I feel like he could do something that could push it too far."

"He crossed that line already for me," said Remus. "Harry already told me about the whole incident concerning the Triwizard Tournament and his potential denouncement. There was a reason why I wanted to spend as much time away from James as possible over the Summer."

"I gathered," said Sirius. "Look. You think it might help if I talk to him?"

"Maybe," said Remus. "I mean, you've been his oldest friend. I'm sure he'll listen to you, and Harry would be grateful. From what I can gather, he wants to enter the Tournament. I plan on giving him advice, if that's okay with you? If he is chosen as Hogwarts' Champion?"

"If he is chosen as Hogwarts' Champion," said Sirius. "Then yes. That is fine with me. Anyway, The Man in the Suit. Do you have any potential candidates as to who it might be based on your lessons last year? You taught the entire school, after all. You must have some idea."

"Only one subject, I'm afraid, and The Man in the Suit was far from active last year, and I wasn't exactly looking for him amongst the students," said Remus. "But if something springs to mind, Sirius, you'll be the first to know."

"I appreciate it. Thanks for the help, Remus," said Sirius, giving his old friend a hug. Remus couldn't help but notice that his eyes lingered on the unpacked suitcase that had been a result of his brief foray to Germany, but was thankful that he didn't bring it up. "Now, I'd love to stay, but I must be going. I wouldn't want to be gone from Hogwarts for long."

Without further ado, Sirius departed, leaving a tired Remus Lupin in his wake. He was thankful that this was only an informal and brief chat and there was no clear sign that he suspected him of helping Harry yet as he was able to deflect arguments pretty heavily, but he had to be more careful from now on. He had Sirius see one letter of their conversation. For his sake, it was one letter too many. 

**IV.**

The rest of the day had been uneventful for Harry but he was far more concerned about the activities in the night, or more specifically, what had happened whilst he was sleeping. The dreams had begun again not long after he had drifted into deep sleep, and there was little that could be done –

 _\- "To stop them. We need to make sure that he suffers no continued relapses,_ " _said Elizabeth, the woman in white. Harry was in a different room now, and allowed to move around. Behind a glass, the same man and woman from earlier were sat there, discussing his decisions. "He has already proven too dangerous when interacting with the other prisoners. We cannot let that happen again"_

" _You are aware that he can hear every word we're saying, right? It's quite the miracle," said the man whose name Harry did not know. Or did he? He had forgotten. The voice sounded familiar. But he could not see the nametag on the white coat. "How his hearing is so advanced. A pity. He could have become a useful asset were he not so… broken."_

 _"We must be careful not to aggravate the subject," said Elizabeth, understanding the man's words, and then, to somebody else, she said, after the switching off of some sort of microphone in an apparent attempt to not get Harry to hear her. "Yes. I understand. The test results are incredible. He has the equivalent of a nuclear bomb in his head and it could go off at any moment. All that energy stored up in there. It's important nothing comes of it. It's important. We must continue to treat him as though that world. The other one, is but a fairy-tale."_

 _"It might as well be a fairy-tale," the third man spoke. His voice was thick and heavily accented. "All these places he keeps going on about. Hogwarts. The Graveyard. The Lake with the Giant Squid. They sound so, well, made-up. They couldn't possibly be real."_

 _"They aren't," said Elizabeth. "That is what we must tell him. They are not real. As far as Harry Potter is concerned. As far as we are concerned. This is not his reality. Now, Dr. Lance. I believe it is your turn to speak to the subject. I wish you the best of luck – if anyone can get through to him."_

 _"It's me," said the third man, whose name Harry now knew, and he could hear the sigh the followed. "Right you are. Here's hoping that I can get through to him. It's got to be better than the last time. Never-"_

\- Again, Harry woke drenched in sweat at the start of a brand-new day, being completely befuddled by the dream that had conspired the night before. He half attempted to ask Riddle in the Diary about what had conspired but letting Riddle know about the Spear of Destiny and its potential side effects seemed like a bad idea which brought him back down to Earth. For now the book would remain hidden, and locked away. A quick shower brought himself back to his senses and sooner rather than later he was running around the castle again, at 6:30am in the morning as the sun rose around him. He was thankful for the quiet, alone and separated from everyone else.

At least until Fleur Delacour arrived, in her running gear. Harry came to a stop nearby the Great Lake where the Durmstrang ship was visible in the distance, half out of breath, and said, "So it looks like you decided to turn up after all."

"Well, better late than never," said Fleur, talking fairly quickly, in her distinctive French accent. Harry noticed that she was still however wearing the same gloves, preventing any contact with her hands. He also wondered briefly about the muggle attire she was wearing, and how she had stumbled across it. Seeing Harry's confused look at what she was wearing he added, "I purchased this from a store in the nearby muggle town. I hear they are good for exercises such as these. I did investigate that how shall we put it, theatre, as you mentioned earlier, as well. Was it the one underneath the observatory?"

"Yeah."

"I would like to take you up on your offer," said Fleur with a smile. "Not anything romantic, you understand."

"My intentions were only one of friendship," said Harry, attempting to clarify his earlier mistake. "Sorry if I seemed a little too forward."

"It's no problem at all," said Fleur, adding a question on the end of this. "I have a question. My… Allure. It does not bother you?"

"I'm not the type to drool," said Harry, after a while. "Sorry if I disappointed you."

"You didn't disappoint me, actually," said Fleur. "You are in fact, the first man my age I have met who has actually been able to hold a fluent conversation with me for this long without blushing or stammering."

"I guess I'm a good talker," said Harry, smiling. "So. It's this weekend. Saturday afternoon, by the way. That won't be a problem?"

"It shouldn't be," said Fleur, as Harry walked around and began lightly jogging on the spot in front of her, warming up for another run. "So. What happens now?"

"Now," said Harry with a smile, "Fleur Delacour. We Run."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

More Harry/Fleur talk and time with Tonks. Next chapter will be primarily outside of Hogwarts and then the following one should (finally) announce who the Triwizard Tournament competitors are. I was originally planning this fic to be around 20 chapters but now it looks as though it's going to be a bit longer than that, but we'll see how things go.


	10. It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

**HYESTR-10**

 **Chapter 10: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World**

 **I.**

The cinema was mostly empty by the time Fleur and Harry left the screening. They were walking together at the back of the crowd, as Fleur said, "That was… quite something. I never expected that muggles could make something so, beautifuland heart-breaking at the same time _._ "

"It's pretty good," said Harry, as they made their way down the street towards the observatory. "Musicals aren't really my genre. But French New Wave on the other hand… Anyway. The observatory should be just up here."

"You said this was from another picture?"

"Yeah," Harry said. He was wearing a red jacket whilst Fleur wore her blue, Beauxbatons uniform. She had gotten a lot of attention from most of the cinema-goers to the point where it was almost becoming unbearable, but once the film started that was enough to keep everyone's attention drawn on it. "I mean, it's modelled after _Rebel Without a Cause._ I think, anyway. It's a great film, actually."

"You seem to watch a lot of these films."

"Well, I'm not exactly the most popular person around here, so I kind of have to have a hobby," said Harry with a shrug. They were almost at the steps of the observatory, which was a short walk away from the cinema itself. The town they were in was a few miles from Hogsmeade but had an apparition point just outside and out of reach of any prying muggle eyes. "Come on," he said, leading her through it and into the main room after handing the nearby guard an admission fee. There were few other people in the observatory, and it was a mostly quiet affair between the two of them. "And… here we are."

Harry lead her into the room where the stars were lit up, covering most of the ceiling. It wasn't of course as real or authentic as the night sky in the Hogwarts Great Hall, but it had a touch of nostalgia about it that Harry liked, a faux-American feel in a very British town. Fleur said, "It's quite… surreal. To see all these stars up close. They always seem so distant."

" _Well, well, well,_ " said a voice from behind Harry and Fleur suddenly, snapping them out of the brief moment that they shared getting lost in the entrancing spell of the observatory. "If it isn't Harry Potter. I thought I told you about this. Miss Delacour. This is Hogwarts business. You should leave now, for you own sake."

"I think I'm fine right here, thank you, Monsieur Davis," said Fleur. "I do not need to be told who to speak to."

"You don't, you can speak to whoever you want," said Roger Davis. "But Harry Potter on the other hand… he is of Ravenclaw, and whilst he is a member of Ravenclaw, he answers to me."

"Forgive me, I have not been at Hogwarts long, but," said Fleur, "I have been able to inspect enough of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin to know that a similar structure is not followed there. Why should Ravenclaw be any different?"

"Because it always has been," said Roger Davis. "There has always been someone looking out for other members of Ravenclaw, making sure that they don't get into trouble. And that someone is me. I just want to do best by my house, that's all. And trust me, it would only be an embarrassment for you if you were to talk to Potter."

"But I do not feel embarrassed."

He scowled at Fleur, and Harry almost thought that Davis would throw a hex, but with the amount of muggles in the room it would break the statue of secrecy immediately. "Potter. If this is how it's going to be, and you are cowardly enough to avoid fighting with me in a magical area… Then how about we use muggle methods?"

He pulled out a short knife from his pocket, and Harry looked at him, almost bemused. "Do you know how to use that?"

"Don't talk like that to me, Potter," said Davis. Thankfully for them the nearest muggle was not paying any attention whatsoever, too busy in their own mind. He left the room just as Roger advanced, and Harry couldn't help but retreat around the back of the observatory towards the exit, Fleur in tow with him. "You have overstepped your boundaries and you must suffer the consequences as a result. A few cuts should do the job quite nicely."

"Who does he think he is?" whispered Fleur as they backed away from him. "He's mad. A muggle could walk in at any second!"

"Don't worry about that," Davis said. "You see, I am of age and the trace does not apply to me. I was able to distract them from the current situation. Now normally I would use a wand, but… knives are so much more interesting, are they not?"

"What's happened to you Davis? Are you sure you're alright?" Harry asked, stepping over a desk as he walked backwards, away from the older Ravenclaw, who lashed out. "You've never done something like this before."

He snorted. "Remember Peter Dawkins last year? The boy they found with three cuts on his wrist?"

"Yeah, everyone thought he was harming himself, and he got sent to St. Mungos for self-evaluation," Harry explained for Fleur. "Didn't come back this year. Wait a second, that, was you?"

"Of course," said Davis. Harry wondered how he managed to sneak this bullying under the nose of the likes of Dumbledore and Flitwick, but if a Basilisk could live for ages undetected in Hogwarts Castle, it didn't seem too much of a leap to make that deduction. After all, Davis likely had several people likely to take his side of the story and provide an alibi should anybody ever talk to a Professor, which was something that Harry had known all too well in the past. "Now it will be a bit harder for you given that you come from a magical background, but we can certainly make you disappear. But it can be done."

"Cover your ears," whispered Fleur to Harry as they backed against a wooden door. Harry nodded, understanding that when a Veela told him to do something it should be done, and you did not want a pissed off Veela as your enemy. Harry clasped both hands over his ears and held them tight as he could, and Fleur yelled as loudly as she could. In fact, it wasn't a yell, it was more of a screech, a high-pitched, soundwave breaking screech that resounded around the room with such a force that the unprotected Roger Davis was sent blasted back across the room. It was a focused sonic boom that Harry had only seen something similar before in muggle comics and science fiction, having never witnessed the hidden power of a Veela up close and personal. He could only grin in response as Fleur lead the way around Davis, who was reeling in agony. He was more than willing to let Fleur take charge of the situation, after all, this meant that he could get away without using his skills that would instantly lead people to expect that he was more than what he appeared. Fleur led him out of the room and into the next corner as alarms began to echo around the Museum, and using her allure to keep the guards out of focus and distracted, Fleur and Harry were able to slip past them as though they were never there. All they would remember was a vague description of a woman who looked too good to be real, which would not help them at all.

After the two were firmly out of sight of the Observatory as the first muggle police cars began to pull up at the building to investigate the damage and loud noise complaints, Harry and Fleur ducked behind a back alley and relaxed, taking deep, long breaths from exhaustion. "That was brilliant," said Harry, in awe at Fleur's powers. "I've never actually seen anyone do something quite like that before."

"Veelas aren't meant to use their power," said Fleur. "It's meant to be kept secret. Now Davis knows. And you know. That's two people more than necessary."

"Hey, it's not as if I'm going to be able to tell anyone, right?" Harry said with a smirk. "Besides, it's pretty awesome. Ever read a comic book before?"

"No," she said. "I told you I'm not good with muggle things."

"Just making sure," said Harry. "But you reminded me of Black Canary. She's a superhero with a sonic boom power. Much like yours. She saves the world. Multiple times."

"Fleur Delacour, saviour of the world," she said with a smile. "I could get used to that. Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"You have my word," said Harry. "And I think it's highly unlikely that Davis will be willing to admit to anyone that he got beaten by a girl, so I think we should be safe anyway. Well, you should be."

"What's he going to do to you?" said Fleur, worried.

"Nothing that I can't handle," said Harry. "I can't believe him. He went full on crazy for a second there, almost like he was taking things too far. I wonder what pushed him."

"I guess it was just one bad day," said Fleur. "And considering that he's already a bad person…"

"It was amplified," said Harry, nodding, and noticing that by now it was well into the afternoon and the evening. "We should get back soon. They're going to announce the Triwizard Winners tomorrow afternoon and I still need to enter."

"You like to leave things to the last minute, don't you?" Fleur said, smiling, her gloves hands leaning up to her face to brush her hair out of her eyesight. "Well in that case, Mr. Potter. After you."

 **II.**

It was empty in the room of the Goblet when Harry Potter arrived alone, having said farewell to Fleur after a largely quiet dinner. Staff hadn't realised that Roger Davis was currently in the local jail awaiting further questioning just yet, but his absence at dinner was a hotly debated topic that was very much discussed. Harry had made sure that nobody was around when he approached the Goblet and put his name in the cup, and was relieved to see that it was accepted without further difficulty. He didn't go for the dramatic approach like the Weasley twins whose attempts at entering, given that they were a few months younger than Harry was, and they had ended up with beards as a result. He had managed to cast his name in the hat and enter, with the flair sounding up protecting his name. However, as he finished, he turned around to see that someone had in fact, been watching him all the time.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, somewhat nervously. "I didn't see you there."

"It is quite often that one caught up in doing something that they shouldn't forgets to properly observe their immediate surroundings," said Dumbledore, approaching Harry. "I must admit, Harry. You are most certainly very brave to defy your parents' wishes. I assume you will not try to reconcile with them once you are struck from the family tree?"

"If it were up to me I wouldn't have been put in this position in the first place," said Harry. "Forgive me, Professor."

"I fear I have made you an outcast in proclaiming Samuel to be The Boy Who Lived. Please forgive a foolish old man, it was not my intention," said Dumbledore. "I had no idea that Lily and James would treat you like they have done. You must know, I tried to talk your parents out of this threat of denunciation, but I fear my skills at persuasion were not as they once were."

"It wasn't your fault, Professor. You had no idea how they would react," said Harry, honestly. Although Dumbledore might have predicted the level of fame that James and Lily would receive after this, he would have no way of knowing how they would have reacted. After all, given how well James and Lily had treated the siblings before the incident, they had no idea as to how badly they might push one to the side.

"Thank you for not holding a grudge against me, Harry. It is much appreciated," said Dumbledore. "I have been informed about the incident concerning Roger Davis and his lack of appearance at the dinner table, and that he is currently to the best of my knowledge, staying overnight in a muggle prison, for, if I am correct in assuming the vandalization of a certain observatory? A pity. That was a favoured place of mine in my youth. It was new back then, of course. I'm surprised it lasted this long."

Harry didn't see fit to attempt to correct Dumbledore for this because he got the feeling that The Headmaster already knew the full details about the events that had transpired there. "So, you're going to get Davis back, sir?" 

"Oh, I think I suppose I'll have to, at some point," said Dumbledore, with a sigh. "But given his various, shall we say, alleged actions against multiple students of this school it is entirely reasonable to… delay our response. Say, twenty-four hours?"

Harry smiled. "He's going to react to this, you know that."

"Unfortunately I cannot do anything about it," said Dumbledore. "I have to let the situation resolve itself this time, Harry. My hands are tied. I need the unanimous vote of the school boards to expel a student, and with Davis' father as part of the board…" 

"It's never going to happen," said Harry, running his hand through his hair in mutual frustration. "But at least this is his last year. He'll be gone by the end."

"At least we all have that to look forward to," said Dumbledore, turning away as he began to walk out the door. The Professor cast an eye back at Harry and their eyes met for a second, as he felt the gaze of the Old Man as though he was starring right through him. He didn't say anything until he was halfway out the door, where the Headmaster added, "Also, how is Professor Lupin these days? I have not heard from him in a while. Were his travels to Germany… successful?"

"Unfortunately not, Headmaster," said Harry, in shock, realising that Dumbledore must have found out about his visit to Grindelwald and put the pieces together. But why hadn't he said anything? Why hadn't the Old Man exposed Harry as the Man in the Suit, or had Lupin arrested for even being seen in the same country as one of the most feared Dark Wizards of all time? Either he had ulterior motives, or Dumbledore knew that Harry was doing his best to do the right thing and had not intervened on purpose.

Albus Dumbledore was the one person who Harry had never truly understood. He could pin down the most basic concept of the man and his ideals like everybody else, but beyond that, perhaps even to himself, there was a mystery that was waiting to be answered. "Well. I wish you the best of luck. If you ever need any help in the future, Harry, either with the upcoming Tournament or your extra circular activities, my door is always open. And one last piece of advice… you used to wear glasses, did you not?"

"I did."

"It might be a good idea to start wearing them again. The disguise worked for Clark Kent, did it not?"

Harry smiled, surprised at the fact that Dumbledore was familiar with Superman in enough capacity to know his disguise.

 **III.**

At night, Harry dreamed. He dreamed of a world where his world was a lie, a world where –

 _\- "There never was any magic,_ " _said the man who had introduced himself as Dr. Lance. Harry had never got a surname from him, but everything about the man screamed wrong. WrongWrongWrongWrongWrong, he was telling himself over and over, and he wasn't sure whether he was answering the claim or questioning the legitimacy of the room itself. "This is important for you to understand, Harry. Here. You talk about a wand. It was found with you in the Graveyard. Phoenix feather, if I am correct? Remarkable, considering there is no record of Phoenixes ever having existed at all outside of fiction. Here, Harry. I want you to have this. Just to prove that magic is not real. Maybe once it is proven, we can start… addressing the elephant in the room."_

 _"There isn't an elephant, Doctor," said Harry. "I don't see one."_

 _"A figure of speech," said Dr. Lance. "Your brain is scrambled. We hope to unscramble it. Now, you have your so-called magic wand. Go ahead. Wave it. Try something. See that it is authentic, and see that it is the very own stick that we found you with. Confirm for me."_

 _"It's mine," said Harry, recognising the core of the wand. He pointed it at the man. "Stupefy."_

 _Nothing happened. There was no jet of red blasting out of the wand, no flare of magic that sent the man blasting across the room. And for the first time, in all his years, Harry felt well and truly alone. Drenched in fear and sweat, he-_

Awoke, panting and in shock at the dream that had just conspired. It was the same one. Who had ever heard of people having the same dream that simply told a story over consecutive nights? Nobody. The story was becoming so real. There were mentions of a Graveyard where he had been found by an apparent Dr. Lance. He was putting together a web of notes on the wall of the dream to remind him of what was coming, with rough sketches of what the people looked like. Using muggle pencils of course, he couldn't imagine if the drawings suddenly came to life. So far there was the nameless man. Elizabeth. Dr. Lance. Three men, all scientists, or all believed to be scientists, and all were connected.

Then there was the Graveyard that he had been found in with the wand. What Graveyard? There was no Graveyard on Hogwarts, the only student to ever have died here was buried at home with her parents, so it had to be another Graveyard, that much was certain. Maybe the one in Godric's Hollow near where he had grown up with his parents? There were to many questions. He worried what might happen when the story reached its end, when his dreams – or his visions, ran out of things to tell him. There was also a big question mark concerning Grindelwald and Dumbledore, who had names up on the mind-map as well, as to what they knew. Lupin hadn't properly been able to go into depth about the events that had transpired there, and Dumbledore could know more about the Spear as well. And then there was Voldemort to take into account, or more accurately Tom Riddle and his diary. There were so many unanswered questions that it hurt Harry, and that was before he even got to the map of Salazar Slytherin, which was suddenly alerting him to another name, a name that was for the first time was not one of muggle origin. It was a pureblood.

And it was Roger Davis.

 **IV.**

The ceremony didn't take place until the afternoon so there was still plenty of time to figure out the threat to Roger Davis was, or whether he was threatening somebody. He didn't know the full extent as to how the map worked but only presumed that he would be in danger from something. Harry had thought about letting events unfold and not intervening, but a conversation with the nameless portrait in Slytherin's chamber changed his mind. "What if Davis is in danger because someone he persecuted decided to overreact? Would that person be able to live with the consequences if they were say, driven to murder?"

"Depends on the person," said Harry with a shrug.

"Think about it," said the painting. "The map can't alert you to that person because it doesn't think they're in any particular danger. It does the next best thing by picking out the target of the person, so thereby, if you save Davis… you save the person who needs saving. And on top of that, Davis owes you a debt."

So this was why Harry found himself outside of the entrance hall, carefully concealed behind two knights in metal armour as it was pushed open by both Davis and Hagrid, who had obviously been the one to collect him. "Now, hopefully that'll teach yeh a lesson."

"It wasn't me!" protested Davis, walking away from Hagrid. "How many times do I have to tell you people before you understand? It wasn't me!"

"Then tell Professor Dumbledore about it," said Hagrid. "I can't do anything for yeh here. Above my paygrade, as it were. Besides. It was yer own fault in the first place. Shouldn't have gone meddling in places yeh don't know."

"When my father hears about this," Davis protested, and Harry rolled his eyes. Clearly the Ravenclaw had picked up something from Draco Malfoy, but after a careful decision not to hex him there and then, he let the self-appointed protector of Ravenclaw Tower wonder off from Hagrid down a corridor. Staying in the shadows, Harry followed him, careful to keep hidden, knowing that the attack could come at any time and from anywhere.

" _STUPEFY!"_ a loud shout, a male voice, suddenly from behind a nearby cupboard. To Davis' credit, he fought back but the teenager whose name Harry took a moment to recall – Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff of all people, in his brother's year, was unleashing spell after spell at the Ravenclaw. " _Aqua Erecto!"_

A blast of water shot out at Justin, almost soaking him but apart from that not doing much harm as Davis panicked. Seizing the initiative, Justin shouted, casting a hex that instantly caused Davis to clutch his head in pain as horns spurted on his head. "Anteoculatia!"

Whilst Davis was in pain, Justin then used the nearby metal knights to pin Davis against the wall, creating clamps to hold him in place. It was clear that Davis had overestimated the raw anger of Justin Finch-Fletchley and how he had been driven to hatred by countless torment. "Justin!" Harry suddenly chose this moment to intervene before things escalated, stepping out from the shadows just as Justin cast a spell that delivered a vicious cut to Davis' cheek. "Justin, Justin! Wait!"

"You!" Justin turned his wand on Harry after collecting Davis's, keeping Davis' wand trained on Harry. "You're in league with him!"

"Oh come on," said Harry. "That's not true. Look. Justin. For a second here. He's been targeting me pretty much ever since I've got to Hogwarts but I'm here to tell you something. As much as you want to do this, it's going to be a mistake."

"Who are you to decide my choices? Do you know what he's done to me? For the past four years? It's too. Much. I can't take it anymore, and the Headmaster isn't doing anything about it!" Justin said, his hands shaking over his wand. "Something has to be done!"

"Four years? Try six years," said Harry. "You think I don't want to kill him as well? Inflict severe pain over him? Get six years' worth of revenge? You think I, or someone else, wouldn't have done that already?"

"You're weak," said Justin. "You're not brave enough."

"Oh, I think you'll find I'm perfectly capable of killing him," said Harry. "But that's not the point. The point is you have to show him something. That you're better than him. That you won't sink to his level. Take the high ground here."

"You think that'll stop the pain? The only way I can stop it is…"

"Killing the king," said Davis, with a smile. "But you haven't got it in you, have you Justin? You can't do it. You're too much of a coward."

"Davis, you're not helping," Harry scolded him. "For once in your life, be smart. Now. Justin. You're fully prepared to kill Davis here, do you think you'll be able to live with what comes next? The consequences? That's an instant life imprisonment in Azkaban for any use of an unforgivable. Not just an expulsion. You're what, fourteen? That's a lot of time to spend behind bars. You remember the dementors don't you?"

"I do," said Justin, thinking back to third year. "They were horrible. It was hell the whole year."

"Now imagine that for the rest of your life. Every day waking up to the same old feeling, knowing that no matter what you do there can be no escape," said Harry. "There's no trial. I'm a witness, after all. I'll be able to testify against you. You won't get out of it and they'll lock you away. As bad as it is now, Roger's going to be gone in the summer. That's what, under a year to put up with him? Even less if you go back home for Christmas. So, consider it for a second."

Justin was clearly wrestling with the choices, whilst Roger Davis sat their clutching the horns on his head that had grown as part of the hex that he had been hit with. They would be there for the rest of the day according to the spell, which was something that was all the more amusing for Harry. "Alright," said Justin after a while, pulling back his wand and putting it in his pocket, reluctantly. He was shaking with nervousness and Harry could tell that. "Sorry, um, Davis. It won't happen again."

Davis was too stunned by the fact that somebody had just attempted to kill him and had almost succeeded. The shock of the danger had just hit him and he too, was shaking. "Potter…"

"Yes Davis?"

"Thank you."

Harry was about as shocked by this comment as he had been by the fact that someone was Justin Finch-Flenchley was capable of murder. "Um," Davis added, "Can you let me down?"

"On one condition," said Harry.

"Name it. I think you've earned it," said Davis.

"Never again."

He didn't have to elaborate what he was talking about for Davis to understand. He knew that he'd gone too far, the anger that he'd been caught up with earlier in the day had long since vanished and he'd been replaced by a new sense of regret. For what he had done. Davis nodded, not saying another word, as Harry used his wand to let Davis down. "I can't do anything about the horns," said Harry. "You'll have to live with them for a bit."

"I think I deserve it," said Davis, climbing to his feet. "Shit. Hey. Justin. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'll bet you are," said Justin, and turned to storm off in the distance after mumbling a quick "thanks" at Harry. As he left Harry noticed a Durmstrang student approach Justin to see if he was alright, but he paid no attention to the ensuing conversation at all, instead, wrapped up in what he had just done. He had just saved Roger Davis' life, someone who had given him hell his entire time at Hogwarts. He could have easily have just let Roger die, there and then. But then, the consequences for Justin in particular would have proved unimaginable, especially for a fourteen-year-old. He had to remind himself that he had notjust saved Roger's life. He had also saved Justin's in the process.

 **V.**

It was the afternoon of the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament champions, and there was a sense of activity and excitement in the air at Hogwarts. Roger Davis had called a personal meeting amongst his followers to disband his group having apparently become a completely changed person following his actions, and as a result Harry and others like him had enjoyed more freedom than they had ever done before. At least four people had come up to talk to Harry and to thank him for having an influence on getting Davis to relax his bullying, and already he was finding it easier to fit into Hogwarts life, not feeling like an outcast anymore.

By the time the meal was being hosted, the school was feeling incredibly optimistic. Angelina Johnson was the Gryffindor Champion. Marcus Flint was the clear Slytherin favourite. Cedric Diggory held a similar position not just in Hufflepuff, according to the odds laid down by Fred and George Weasley, but the entire school, and Ravenclaw was a bit less even. A clear favourite before the event had been Roger Davis, but he had asked to be personally withdraw from the competition and would not compete even if his name was selected regardless of the consequences, saying that he didn't feel worthy to represent Hogwarts, and there was no clear Ravenclaw Champion. "I think it's going to be Aaron Gibbs-Chamberlain," Cho Chang was saying over the table, glancing to a blonde Ravenclaw student sat in the corner. Harry was sat next to her, and for once, Cho was not looking at him out of pity. In another lifetime, maybe they could have been friends. "I don't know. I'd like it to be someone from Ravenclaw and now that Roger's out, he feels like the next best possible choice."

"You're only saying that because you have a crush on him," said Marietta Edgecombe. "Wait until Diggory finds out. He'll be disappointed."

"What?"

"Didn't you know," Marietta said. "Diggory's got a crush on you. He told my boyfriend Erik last night."

"You don't have a boyfriend," said Cho, blushing, but couldn't help but gaze over at the Hufflepuff table, finding that Diggory's eyes had been caught lingering on her for more than a few seconds. He smiled awkwardly upon being caught, and looked away.

"So come on," Marietta said. "What do you think?"

"Maybe," said Cho, as Harry started to regret sitting next to the two of them at all, their conversation boring him. He was half tempted to throw in a reference to _Dr. Strangelove_ and get them to leave him alone, but after all, he couldn't complain. He wasn't being persecuted anymore. "Hey. They're about to announce the champions."

The school descended into a hushed silence as the Goblet of Fire changed colour to signify its closure and the fact that no more name could be submitted. The Great Hall was as full as it had been on the night of the arrival of the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students with extra Ministry Staff, James Potter and Sirius Black among them, James no doubt here to make sure that his son didn't enter the tournament. It was Ludo Bagman – who Harry vaguely recognised as some famous Quidditch commentator, a typical showboater in an extravagant uniform. "Ahem," Bagman said. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here tonight! Tonight, the future is decided. Tonight, three of our best and brightest are chosen from the Goblet of Fire! They will face unimaginable hardships, unimaginable tasks in the quest of the greatest prize of all! Now, those of you who are of age have cast their vote, stepped across the age line, and you know, there is no going back from here." 

The room was in complete silence, captivated by Bagman's every word. "In a few moments, I will have the first name from the goblet. I will ask the champion to proceed into the room at the back, where they will meet with their respective Head of School to discuss the tournament and their participation. I repeat… in a few moments, I will have the first name from the goblet."

He cleared his throat. Every eye in the Great Hall, including both of Moody's, was on the Goblet of Fire. A few moments of silence overcame the hall before a paper flared up, and Bagman caught it in his hands and unravelled. "The Champion from Durmstrang is… Viktor Krum!"

Applause, and whispers, mostly from students acknowledging that this was of no surprise in the slightest, followed Krum as he climbed to his feet, walked past Bagman, giving the announcer a handshake before passing into the room at the back where his Headmaster had proceeded to join him. The Goblet changed colour again before only a few moments later flaring up once more. Bagman unfolded the note once again and read, "The Champion from Beauxbatons… is Fleur Delacour!"

Harry joined in with the applause this time that followed most of the Fleur as she climbed up from the rest of the Ravenclaw students. Now this was it. The moment of truth that would determine Harry's future at Hogwarts was mere seconds away from being announced, and the entirety of Hogwarts was on edge for this event. The Goblet lit up for a third time, and Bagman caught the third name in his hand. By this point, Fleur and Krum were in the private room with Madame Maxime and Igor Karkaroff having followed them. The remaining Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students were a mix between emotionless, optimistic and clearly distraught – a few were even weeping that they were not chosen. "And now, last but not least," Bagman announced. "The Champion from Hogwarts is… _Harry Potter_." 

A moment of stunned silence filled the room as various heads turned to Harry. People were starting to recognise him as different from his brother, Samuel, and now this would be the final straw that crushed his anonymous presence around Hogwarts for good. Upon Dumbledore's suggestion, he was wearing his glasses, and had to readjust them slightly as he climbed to his feet, feeling the distinct lack of applause around the room. He could feel James' eyes firmly fixed on him, a cold, distant and emotionless look that displayed no hint of warmth or gratitude to him whatsoever, and as he made his way to the room at the back, it took a full two minutes after everyone had applauded the previous champions for applause to break out, and it came from a few clusters of support from the various houses. His brother and his sister both applauded and half of Gryffindor followed their lead as a result, and then from Hufflepuff, Justin Finch-Fletchley led the applause for his house. Seconds later, Roger Davis too, joined in, and then the whole of Hogwarts house was applauding for their Champion.

The distinct lack of response from his father was the most telling one of all, however, as Harry made his way past him. He sensed as he made his way into the room that this would almost certainly be his last full day as a member of the Potter Household.

"Harry!" Fleur smiled warmly as he entered the room. Harry nodded at Fleur, who was standing next to Viktor Krum. Krum approached Harry and shook his hand, and Harry returned the gesture. Fleur and Harry both hugged each other, a display of affection that was not ignored by Madame Maxime, who gave Fleur a ' _We'll take about this later'_ look.

"So, what happens now?" Harry couldn't help but ask somewhat awkwardly after a few moments of silence had descended amongst the room.

He sensed that Krum was about to say something but before the Quidditch player could comment, the door opened for the fourth time, and in stepped Harry's brother, Samuel, and even before he said anything, Harry knew that there was something wrong. "Samuel? Are you alright?"

"Um. Yes," Samuel said, nervously, sweating, and clearly out of his depth with the older students in the room. "Well. Not really. They just… announced a fourth champion. And, uh. It's me."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	11. Talk of the Town

**Chapter Eleven: Talk of the Town**

 **I.**

Roger Davis was waiting for Harry by the time he returned to the Ravenclaw common room, along with a whole host of the rest of the house. "Hey," Roger said, running awkwardly up to Harry as he climbed through the entrance, after guessing the riddle correctly on the first go. "Harry. Um. We wanted to say Congratulations, and that… you'll have the full support of Ravenclaw house, should you need it."

"Thanks," said Harry, nodding at Roger. He was tempted to reply with something snarky as to ' _where were you before all of this?'_ but it would do no good. And besides, he needed all the allies that he could get at this point. If he didn't have one of the four houses on his back, that was a good thing. He headed through the crowd towards his room, eager to get some sleep, because given the reaction of his father, he had no doubt that he was going to need it the following morning.

"Harry," Roger said as he began to climb the first few stairs. "Look. I know there's not much that I can do to make up for everything that I've done to you… and most of the school for the past few years, but… given that you've just become the Triwizard Champion, surely, I don't know. You might want to celebrate?"

He looked around at the students, many of whom had glasses of butterbeer in their hands, no doubt stolen from the kitchen. He looked upstairs, the lure of the bedroom tempting him for a second before he remembered the inevitable nightmares that he would get the second he drifted off, and decided to shrug, and say, "I guess."

"Good man," Roger said. "Alright. I also gathered everyone here for a different reason. You would have noticed that I am slowly disbanding my authority as the student protector of Ravenclaw House. I have wrongfully abused that power and I would like to once again, apologise for my actions. I have also come to the conclusion that there is no longer need for a role of this position in Ravenclaw… and as a result there will be no successor. For better or for worse, everyone can do whatever the hell they want. After all, it doesn't really matter what we do when Gryffindor are going to get the House Cup anyway."

There were various chuckles around the room at this. Ever since Samuel had come to Hogwarts Gryffindor had been awarded the House Cup consistently for the past three years, and at this point it was inevitable that Samuel would see it given to Gryffindor for a fourth, especially as he was another Triwizard Champion. "Now. I've already let this speech drag on a bit longer than necessary, so… enjoy the party. Don't get too drunk."

More laughter followed, as Harry joined in with the festivities for the first time in what had seemed like years. As the night went on he even ended up dancing with a couple of Ravenclaw girls – one of them being Cho Chang, before eventually retiring to his private quarters, alone. It felt weird, and incredibly different, having to socialise with people his own age, but the more he started to get used to it, the more he found himself beginning to like it. He wasn't quite ready to forgive Davis' rather abrupt-heel face turn and part of him was suspicious enough to wonder if he had anything else planned in the future, but for now, this seemed like an honest enough shot at redemption. After much deliberation on what tomorrow's events would bring, sleep finally consumed him at last, and he found himself _–_

 _\- Dreaming again. Always the same dream now. He wished he could dream of dragons, of girls – of something normal, other than just a random mental hospital with the same continuous storyline that was apparently real. He didn't know how it was real – it could have been reflections of an alternate dimension Harry Potter for all he knew, but even so, it was a script that he was forced to play out. Night after night. Sometimes a new story, sometimes a repeat of previous encounters from a different angle. And very few nights he got blessed nothingness. But nothingness was a rarity nowadays, and as Dr. Lance approached him once more, Harry could sit by and watch. "Ah. Good morning, Harry. Today, I think you are finally ready for the next phase of our experiment. Congratulations, very few patients earn this right."_

 _"Does this mean I'm one step closer to being let go?"_

 _"It does. You have shown significant improvement," said Dr. Lance. "But this is perhaps, your greatest test. You will face people that you might even recognise from before. Maybe even hate. But you must understand this. They are new. You are new. Everything is new here. That old life of yours… it wasn't real. So please. I ask you not to judge these people based on what you think they have done."_

 _"I'll do my best, Doctor," said Harry, nervously. He was in an orange bodysuit, all one colour, and was wearing black gloves. It was the first time he was being shown out of the door, the first time he would experience a new location in this dream. The hallway gave across a neon vibe, white with dimmed green lights, as he was lead through past several paintings. He recognised one of them, and said, "Is that a Da Vinci?"_

 _"You start to remember," said Dr. Lance, noting. "Who you were before you came here."_

" _I do," said Harry, wondering. "I must have been an artist. Or. I don't know. Have studied something to do with art. That's how I can remember the Da Vinci."_

" _You are correct," said Dr. Lance. "Before you attended here, you were a student at a very prestigious at school. The Da Vinci was a… personal touch, shall we say. I hoped it would jog your memory."_

 _"A prestigious art school at seventeen," Harry commented. "I must have been good."_

" _You were," Dr. Lance said. "I can show you some of your paintings if you like. But in the meantime, we have other people to meet. This way. We are almost there."_

 _Dr. Lance lead the way forward, down a few more steps and into another, larger white room. There stood one more person in the room, a seventeen-year-old boy who looked like he had come from a different era altogether, wearing clothes straight out of a period drama. Harry couldn't quite meet eye contact with him just yet, but his hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Every feeling in his body was telling him that the newcomer should not be here. "Ah. Mr. Riddle," said Dr. Lance. "Welcome."_

 _"You," Harry said, forgetting Dr. Lance's warning, breaking the reality, pushing his dream forward, "What are you doing here? How can you be in my dream?"_

Harry awoke before the dream could continue, but not before he remembered seeing Riddle's eyes pierce through him, as though he knew it was a dream. It was like the jump scare in every horror movie that he'd ever seen, one second Riddle was a normal boy who had a peculiar fashion sense, and then the next he had been a demon from hell itself. He instantly put on his glasses and scrambled for the diary, ripping open its pages as he wanted to ask Riddle for a second how, just _how,_ he could be in his dream. He began to write cautiously, slowly at first. ' _Riddle. What do you know about dreams?'_

A few seconds before Riddle's response came. ' _You're going to have to be more specific than that, Harry. It's been a while since we last spoke, after all. I haven't quite had all the details…'_

The ink vanished, and Harry responded. ' _The Dreams. Can they be real?'_

There was a pause, a long one, and then Riddle added, ' _So my suspicions are true. You have touched it. At least once. I was wondering why you would ask me that question but it appears there is only one logical explanation. You have touched the Spear of Destiny.'_

Harry wondered how Riddle knew, but then there wasn't that many known artefacts other than the Spear of Destiny that might have had an influence on people's dreams in the magical world, or at least as potentially as serious as consequences as the Spear, and it made sense that Voldemort had investigated it whilst he had been at Hogwarts, especially if the rumours were true about him taking a liking to historical magical artefacts. _'I have,'_ admitted Harry after a while, feeling that there wasn't much point in hiding from him. ' _Do you know about the consequences? Are they like this for everyone who has touched the Spear?'_

' _I do not fully understand the consequences of touching such an artefact, as much as I would have liked.'_ Riddle wrote back. ' _But I can imagine it must be severe if you are still willing to talk to me after the Chamber incident. How is your health?'_

Harry was a bit alarmed to see that Riddle was asking about him. ' _Good, thanks,_ ' he sarcastically replied, underlining it so Riddle could get the sarcasm in the page. ' _But I do want to know how you survived the Chamber. I thought I destroyed you, and Weasley got her body back… so. How are you still here?'_

' _It's quite simple, isn't it?'_ Riddle wrote back after a while. _'Have you not figured it out yet?'_

There was a knock at Harry's door, forcing him to quickly shut the book and push it back in the cupboard, and he walked over to it still in his pyjamas. Tonks was at the door, smiling, and said, "Hey. Bad time?"

"Bad dream," he corrected her. "How'd you get in?" 

"I guessed the riddle," she said. "Besides, your Dad wanted me to get you as soon as possible. I'm sorry, it's bad news. He wants to complete the denouncement ceremony as soon as possible."

"Oh. I was kind of hoping that he'd wait until the end of term," said Harry with a frown of disappointment. "But I guess I have to be there."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to miss your own denouncement party," said Tonks with a smirk. "Anyway, I'll be in the common room. You'd better make it quick."

"Alright," Harry said, as Tonks left the room. He removed a dark maroon leather jacket and noticed something underneath it in the form of an orange jumpsuit, not unlike the one in the dream. He was wondering how it had gotten there and was about to investigate further, but after blinking it had quickly vanished, leaving nothing but his normal clothing items in response. After putting on some jeans he joined Tonks in the common room as the rest of the Ravenclaws were starting to awake from their slumber of the party that had ensued, and it was only thanks to the hardworking efforts of the House Elves that the Common Room wasn't a complete wreck right now. "Okay… here we go."

"Nice jacket," commented Tonks. "You a fan of Red? I think a few Ravenclaws would take offense to that."

"It's just a colour," said Harry. "Besides. Ron Weasley wears colours of his favourite Quidditch team a lot. Why should I not be able to wear the colours of my favourite football team? Speaking of which, we've got a game today. I hope this doesn't take too long… I need to watch the game at three. We've got Sheffield Wednesday and I'm sure I found a pub in the nearby village that shows the games."

"You don't really seem concerned about losing your family name," said Tonks. "I thought you'd be more worried. I mean, the next few years are going to be pretty bad for you."

Harry looked across at Tonks, who corrected after a pause, "Okay. Even more bad."

"I know that," he said. "Hopefully the fact that I'm a Triwizard Tournament Champion will lessen the impact. It's interesting. Am I even a competitor anymore if Potter is no longer my surname?"

"I think the same basic rule applies. I mean, you wrote it on the paper, didn't you? It'll probably just correct itself to whatever surname you decided to adopt," said Tonks. "Speaking of which, have you got any potential surnames lined up? I know of a few houses who'd be willing to take you in. My mum probably would if you asked…"

"I'm good, actually," said Harry. "I'm thinking I might pick a normal name. Something like Adams or Jones."

"Any particular reason?"

"Well, Tony Adams is my favourite footballer," said Harry, as Tonks rolled her eyes, "and Indiana Jones is my favourite character. So, there's that. I don't know."

"You're basing your selections for your surnames off random common muggle names? Why not go big? Like Gryffindor, or Slytherin? Just to kick up a fuss or something."

"Too much trouble," said Harry. "I'd have the Death Eaters after me because they thought I'd be dishonouring Slytherin's name if I chose him, and I'd have the Order after me because they thought I'd turned evil. Whereas if I pick something like Adams or Jones, nobody's going to care. What sounds better, by the way?" 

"I don't know," said Tonks. "And you're still going to get people calling you Potter most of the time. Snape will. He can't let a grudge go."

"Yeah, it's more of a formality more than anything, I'll still be a Potter for all accounts and purposes. Hell… I could just keep the surname officially, like Sirius does."

"Anyway, you've got a week before you register your new name after the denouncement process," said Tonks. "There's someone who needs to be at your side for the whole ceremony just to provide witness in case something happens, per official rules, and a neutral party in case both parties get involved. So. Who do you want to represent you?"

"Well, Tonks, I'll take you if that's alright? You can do both?" said Harry.

"I was going to volunteer myself to be the neutral party, actually," said Tonks. "Actually, you already have somebody who has volunteered to be your ally."

"Who's that?"

"He's waiting for you at the gate."

 **II.**

Remus Lupin, in a thick brown coat and a black hat, greeted him at the bottom of the stairs on a chilly winter morning. The snow had come early this year already it was falling around the castle. "Miss Tonks called me as soon as soon as the Denouncement ceremony was set," said Remus. "She was able to deduce correctly that we were in closer correspondence than previously thought."

"Are you sure about this, Professor?" Harry couldn't help but ask him. "This could ruin your relationship with my Dad if he sees you taking my side. At least Tonks has the element of being the third party."

"I'm sure. My friendship with the rest of the marauders is all but over at this point, anyway," said Remus. "I might as well officially declare it dead."

"Thanks," Harry said. "Afterwards… do you want to come and watch the football with me?" 

The way Harry said it, combined with the timing to make sure that Tonks was distracted, informed the former Defence teacher that there was more to Harry's request than met the eye. "I would happily join you," said Remus, as they exited into the castle grounds. "Look over there. They're waiting for us."

The snow had not deterred James, Lily and Sirius from waiting for them. Already their tracks had been covered up and they were standing side by side. Interestingly Harper and Samuel were not in sight, but were instead probably watching from the windows, and a quick glance to the nearest tower confirmed Harry's suspicions, two faces clear and distinctive, were cast down on the courtyard below. Harry was thankful that this area had been temporarily excluded to students at this point to prevent further distraction. "Which one of them's the neutral party?" said Harry, wondering if he'd read the rules right for a second.

"The rules have recently been amended," said Tonks after a pause. "Only the accused needs to present a neutral party representative to record an unbiased history of events. And that person must be agreed upon by both sides."

"That hardly sounds fair," said Harry. "But at least they don't seem to notice that we actually get on well." 

"Don't be too nice to me, or they might change their mind at the last minute," said Tonks as they approached the three. She could only offer him a wink in response because by now they had reached both his parents and the man who was still effectively his Godfather.

"Sirius," Remus approached the man, who shook his hand. James declined to offer Remus a handshake, but Lily stepped up for her husband's wishes. "I assume you know what this means."

"It does," said James. "Anyone who sides with him is no longer to be considered a friend of House Potter. Let the records state that Nymphadora Tonks is considered exempt from this as she was never a friend of the subject in question in the first place, and is only acting as a neutral party."

Harry managed to hide his own smirk at this as Tonks used an enchanted quill to write everything down that James had just said. "Now," James said. "The ceremony will be quick, provided of course…"

"Of course?" Remus couldn't help but notice that James had let the question linger.

"The accused does not wish to invoke a Trial by Combat," James said, his comments lingering for a second as stunned silence met the room.

"Trial by Combat?" Harry couldn't help but ask. "Wasn't that practice outlawed in the seventeenth century?"

"You're well read. I'll give you that. It was," said James. "But, recent events, as I'm sure you well know, have caused the rules to be amended. Trial by Combat has been temporarily reintroduced into the rules. To first blood, and for a week only."

' _He's not even trying to hide the fact that he can just bend the rules he wants at will,_ ' Harry mused and drew to the logical conclusion. James had been watching every move that the Man in the Suit had made over the past few months and made a list of the spells that he chose and the order that he used them in. If Harry were to employ the same list of spells against James and this was something that he would have to do to give himself a fair shot of winning the Trial and regaining his status in the family, he would have to use spells beyond the knowledge of a typical seventh year – that only advanced reading into forbidden subjects could pick up - and this would most likely be the evidence needed for James to arrest Harry and accuse him as being the Man in the Suit. It was a tempting dilemma, and Harry was fairly tempted to accept his offer and school him in the process. But even if he did accept there was no guarantee that he could beat James Potter, there was of course a reason why he was described as one of the most gifted magical talents of his age, and Harry's mother or Sirius would likely put themselves down as James' second and they too would be a formidable opponent. So, the risks were always high if he decided to intervene.

"Can I have a moment to think this over?"

"Of course," said James, as Harry turned back to Remus. Tonks stood to the side, pretending to act as the neutral party.

"He thinks I'm the Man in the Suit," said Harry. "The only way I'd be able to beat him would be to use the spells that only The Man in the Suit knows, and then he'd be able to bust me afterwards."

"It's your choice," commented Lupin. "If you fight James, I will put myself forward to be your second. Although I fear I am not much of a dueller as I once was."

"Don't worry," said Harry, after a pause. "I don't think I'm going to do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," said Harry with a sigh, and moved away from Lupin, he approached his father, over the ground between them. "I choose not to accept the Trial by Combat."

James said, "Are you sure? This is your last chance to remain as House Potter. Would you give up your surname that easily?"

"Well, seeing as you're so keen to want me to duel you I thought I'd deny you the opportunity," said Harry. "Besides, in case you haven't noticed, we have an audience. I wouldn't want to create a scene."

"Good to see that you at least understand the need to be respectful," said James. "I had so much hopes for you. I thought if you hadn't entered the Tournament, there might have been a chance. But you decided to put your own name above that of your family's interests, and now we have unnecessary pressure to deal with on top of the one that we already have."

"You know, if you'd have treated me and Samuel as the same, it might not have come to this," said Harry after a pause. "But you had to let your ego get the better of you, didn't it?"

"How dare you speak to me like this," said James. "You're no worse than Snivellus. You should have been in _Slytherin_ like him. You don't deserve to be a Ravenclaw."

"James," warned Sirius. "You're taking it a bit too far."

"Whose side are you on, anyway, Sirius? It's bad enough that Remus took my son's side over one of his best friends," said James. "But now I have to deal with you as well?"

"I know what abuse looks like when I see it, James," said Remus, who turned to Lily. "How can you stand by and watch this happen? You must know that you are better than this. Both of you. Unless fame has corrupted you so much as well that you have forgotten where you came from." 

"Don't talk to me of where I came from, Remus. You have no right," Lily said. "Not after what you have done today. Your actions. You are no longer welcome in the Potter Household."

Remus remained calm, as if he had expected and planned for this. Harry was resisting the urge to lash out to play into James' taunts and start the duel anyway, but for now he was willing to let it slide. After all, it would be a bad move to find himself in Azkaban before he could complete the Tournament, therefore losing all of his magic in the process. "Then I guess that's it then," said Harry.

"One more thing," Lily said. "Normally, this would be done at the Mansion, but given the circumstances, it is easier to do this here. I have brought with me a portrait of our family. Look at it."

Harry obeyed his mother as she unravelled the family tree, as it levitated into the air. At the bottom, the most recent names on the list were himself, Harper and Samuel, with a portrait illustrated around the time just before he first went to Hogwarts. Normally he would have expected it to have been updated on his eighteenth birthday, a year after adulthood in the magical world, but now it would never be changed. " _familia remotio_ ," James was the one who cast the spell at the portrait, and he could only watch as his portrait changed, replaced by a black spot not unlike that which was commonly associated as being attributed to pirates after Robert Louis Stevenson's _Treasure Island_ made it popular. Harry noticed that in the several hundred years of the variations of the Potter family tree, there were only three names that had been deemed fit to be banished from the tree, with himself being the most recent one since before the end of the Second World War. Once the transformation was complete, James said finally, "It is done. I hereby name you Harry, son of no-one."

Harry hadn't expected this to hit him as hard as it had, and now he was doing his best to hold back tears. He didn't know why tears had even come to him in the first place but there was part of him that thought that things could have turned out differently, that he could have, somehow, convinced James to change his mind and that his father would accept him after his announcement in the Tournament. Remus put a hand on Harry's shoulder, recognising his discomfort, and said, "You did well."

"Now, get out of my sight," James said before Harry could respond to Remus, as Lily used her wand to roll up the parchment. Harry nodded, and turned around and began to walk back down the snow-covered courtyard.

"Do you think you've done the right thing?" Sirius said, once Harry was out of sight, to James. "You know what this could mean, right? If he ends up winning the Tournament?"

"Don't worry, He won't win," said James, with a smile. "You were right in alerting me the suspicions concerning the fact that he might have been the Man in the Suit. Unfortunately, we couldn't bait him into exposing his identity that easily with the Trial by Combat. But before the end of the Tournament, we will know for sure. And then we will arrest him." 

"Arrest him?" Sirius said. "You know that if we arrest him before the end of the Tournament he'll lose his magic if he fails to complete it? You can't be okay with that, even after what you've just done."

"I can," said James, earning a look of disbelief from Sirius. "After all, Why should I care what happens to him? He is no longer my son."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	12. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

**Chapter Twelve: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)**

Harry looked across the table at the man sat across from him. "Now," said Dr. Lance, who was standing around the room, with a clipboard in his hand. He was wearing sunglasses in doors, but otherwise, kept an official manner about him with a suit and a tie. "Let's try that again, shall we. I know you think Mr. Riddle here may have done something to harm you in your imaginary life. But this is not your imaginary life, is it, Mr. Potter? There are no wizards and witches here. There have never been. It is a fantasy and although I must admit I have lost others to this delusion, I have not lost you. Not yet. And I don't want to lose you. So. Please. For your sake, at least. I hope you are going to co-operate with this man."

"Fine," said Harry, quietly. "I guess I will. So, you're Tom Riddle, right?"

"I am. That would be correct," said Riddle. Harry could not help but notice that Riddle scratched the back of his wrist as he said so, and wondered briefly if there was more to him than met the eye. "I was once a student here. I know that Dr. Lance can have rather… aggressive methods, but he means well. Trust me. He saved me from myself. He can do the same for you. All you have to do is admit that magic is nothing more than a fantasy."

"The dreams felt so real," said Harry. Dr. Lance began to move towards him, but Riddle warned him off. "One moment I was here. And then the next I'd wake up in this castle, this Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts," snorted Riddle, dismissal. "I see where you got that name from. The name of the Facility is codenamed _HOG-WAR._ I don't quite know what it stands for, nor do I have the clearance to know. I think it has something to do with the history of the place, it used to be an animal experimental facility, am I correct? Before humans, pigs were experimented on here, believe it or not. I guess the name just carried over."

"So that's what the smell is," said Harry. "That at least explains the name. But what about the people that I meet? Albus Dumbledore. Remus Lupin."

"Illusions, mostly, of people you have met in real life," said Riddle, handing Harry a folder. "Look at this. You made up the name Remus Lupin, which sounds too fantastical to be true. His name was actually Teddy Summers, a fellow mental patient of this hospital. You heard him howling in your sleep and your dreams must have transformed him somehow, into a werewolf, was it?"

"I think so," said Harry, looking at the picture of Teddy Summers in the file.

"The name Remus Lupin?" Riddle said. "I must admit, you know your literature. That is impressive. Remus is the name of one of the twins, Remus and Romulus, who played a part in the apparent founding of Rome. They were raised by a wolf, according to the legend. And Lupin, well. It's a form of the Latin, _lupus._ I bet you'll never guess what it translates to."

"Wolf?" Harry said after a pause.

"Exactly," Riddle said. "Now, I don't know where you got the name Albus Dumbledore from, but you probably found it from somewhere similar. You see. All these fantastical names, these strange places. Your mind retreated into itself, and attempted to distract you from the realities of the situation at hand. And as to you being a vigilante? Well, the intern you had three months ago shouldn't have given you some _Batman_ comics to read."

"I've been in here three months?" Harry asked. "How can I not remember anything about my life before?"

"Your mind is too scrambled," said Riddle. "Your brain. It's still trying to put its pieces back together. But. Something is starting to come back, is that correct? You start to remember your art?"

"Dr. Lance showed me a picture of a Da Vinci on the way here," said Harry. "Apparently, I used to be an artist."

"You also used to be a great chess player," said Riddle, taking out a portable board and unfolding it, before placing the various pieces in its their respective positions. "Top of your class, in fact at University. Probably where you got the idea about that chess game in one of your Hogwarts years from, you know, the one with the giant pieces?"

"I remember that one," said Harry. "But I remember sucking at chess."

"It was because you forced the idea onto another person," said Riddle. "You couldn't be good at everything. So certain bits of your hobbies got grafted onto different personalities. Ron Weasley inherited your chess skills, I believe. He's here, somewhere, in one of these wards, if you want to visit him. And then I believe one of your flatmates at University, Hermione Granger, was interesting. She is not in your dream much considering you know her so well in reality."

"She's a few years younger than me."

"Is this because you view her as a sister in real life, perhaps?" Riddle said. "I shouldn't tell you this, but she had a crush on you."

"But I had a sister in my dream. Why would I ignore Hermione if I already had a sister in my dream?" Harry said, making the first move as he put a pawn forward two squares, pressing the timer. Riddle made a move with his pawn, putting it a few squares in front of Harry's own. "And I had a brother too. Are they real?"

"No," said Riddle. "They are not."

"And my parents?"

Riddle looked up at Dr. Lance, who whispered something back to him. Dr. Lance had been so silent that Harry had almost forgotten he was in the room. "I'm afraid I have bad news," said Riddle after a while. "Regarding your parents. That you may not want to hear."

 **II.**

 _Harry awoke in a windowless room. He was wondering where he was, why he hadn't simply awoken to his Hogwarts Dormitory, but there was no going back now. He had descended into something caused by the Spear, he knew this, because the room itself, wasn't natural. Much like Hogwarts' Great Hall, the ceiling depicted the weather, and the wallpaper was one of consistently moving paintings, depicting multiple battles throughout history. Battles, he concluded, where the Spear of Destiny must have taken place. "Harry," said a voice from behind him, and he spun around to see Tom Riddle, again, the teenage Tom Riddle, sat on a chair. Only this time, there was no Dr. Lance in sight. "Easy, easy, relax."_

 _"What's going on? I normally wake up in Hogwarts," said Harry. "Why am I here?"_

 _"This is a place within your subconscious," said Riddle. "We can talk safely here. There is no Dr. Lance, no Spear. Just you, me, and well.. him."_

 _Harry heard a large grunting sound from outside the wall, and then a loud crash as though someone was trying to break into the wall. The wall shook but remained firm, causing Riddle to add, "He's actually quite charming, you know. Once you get used to him."_

 _"What is it?" asked Harry. "How is that thing inside my head?"_

 _"It is the last non-human thing to lay its hands on the Spear of Destiny," said Riddle. "I would believe the correct term is a Cave Troll."_

 _"And that's inside my head?" Harry asked, wondering what the difference between a cave troll and a normal troll was other than the fact that one lived in caves. "I thought you said the spear couldn't affect me?"_

 _"It can't affect you in here," said Riddle. "Out there, however…"_

 _"What happens if it you know, gets me?"_

 _"Then you die."_

 _Harry noticed the finality in his words. "What about, you know… Hogwarts? If I die in here, does Hogwarts die as well?"_

 _"That is up for you to decide," said Riddle, reaching for a nearby television remote. "Alternatively, we could just spend all day in here with this television. This Star Trek program is actually rather good. I must thank you for watching it and remembering the episodes so well, otherwise, well – I wouldn't have anything to do."_

 _"And who are you? Are you really Riddle? How did you end up here?"_

 _"Too many questions," said Riddle. "Now you have a choice. Defeat the Cave Troll, solve the, well… riddle. Determine which world is real. And you get to go free."_

 _"Just like that?"_

 _"Just like that," Riddle said. "Well, off you pop. I'll be seeing you soon."_

 **III.**

Harry glanced across at the real Riddle, finding himself opening his eyes after blinking. "Are you okay?"

"I think I am," said Harry, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry, I got a bit distracted there. Is it my turn?"

"Yes," said Riddle. "But I was telling you something important, Harry, and you need to pay attention. Your parents. Are you ready to hear what happened to them?"

"I think I am," said Harry. "I think. Wait. I remember. They disowned me."

"No. That's just your dream talking," said Riddle. "I'm afraid, I hate to break it to you, but your parents died several years ago, in a car crash on Halloween when you were only a baby. You have never known your parents."

"So… who did I live with all this time?" said Harry, wondering, the news hitting him hard. Even though his parents had disowned him in the Hogwarts reality, he never wished them dead. To wake up and find them dead… if this world was real…

"Your relatives," said Riddle. "The Dursley Family. They oversaw your education, and helped you get into University. Look here, we have photos of you growing up with your family."

Riddle handled Harry further photos of growing up with Dudley Dursley. He couldn't help but notice that the photos that were there, he was always in the background, off to the corner, looking slowly disillusioned. "Of course it does not take a genius to understand why you are in the background of most of these photographs. It is clear that you did not get on well with them. But we believe it is important to move past all of that. Your family. Your past. This is a perfect opportunity for you to start a new life. All you have to do is say yes, and then we can help you. Become something else. Become somebody else. Are you ready?"

Riddle moved his Knight forward on the chessboard, but before Harry could reply, he felt his vision fading again, and he found himself –

 _In the room, again. The same room. The dream within a dream within a dream. Riddle was there, this time relaxed on the bed now, listening to music through headphones. It felt so odd that Voldemort, the man who Harry knew would become Voldemort, was doing these things, watching television and listening to music. But then again, maybe Harry was just insane. "Ah. Good morning. Or is it afternoon? I can never tell in here," Riddle said. "I did say I would be seeing you soon, didn't I?"_

 _"Yeah, but how…"_

 _"Suspended animation," Riddle said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together, still wearing the headphones. "You may spend, say, an hour in your head. But in the institution, you're only spending half an hour. And fifteen minutes in Hogwarts, for example. It's complicated, just roll with it, okay? I feel like it would make for an excellent film one day. Maybe they should cast that young Leonardo DiCaprio fellow."_

 _"Riddle," said Harry with a scowl. "The point. Get to it."_

 _"Oh, you're not in the best of moods today, are you now?" Riddle said. "Don't worry, we can speed up the process. Are you ready? You must have come back here for a reason. To take on the Cave Troll?"_

 _"Yes," said Harry. "Do I have a weapon? Anything I can use?"_

 _"Well, we are all inside your head, are we not?" Riddle said. "You should be able to come up with whatever your imagination grants you. Maybe a wand. Or a sword."_

 _"I'll take a wand," said Harry, and as if on cue, a wooden chest of drawers appeared in the room. Harry opened the top drawer, and pulled out a wand that he recognised it as his own. "So if I kill the Troll, that's definitely it, right?"_

 _"Definitely," said Riddle. "For now, anyway… more will come later but you needn't concern yourself with that. You want to defeat the Troll, don't you? Well, go out there and get him."_

 _"Reducto!" Harry said, calmly at the wall, full of confidence, pointing his wand at it. For the first time, he was able to use magic in his mind, and instantly, the wall shattered, breaking apart, revealing another corridor that led down the hallway._

 _"Oh, and be careful what you find in there!" Riddle called out after him, remaining on the bed. "It is your mind, after all… You can experience dangerous things."_

 _Harry left the corridor, heading downstairs, in search of the loud destruction that the Troll was causing. Instantly, he stumbled across a familiar sight, his bedroom, or at least, his bedroom back when he was three years old, with just himself and a young Samuel Potter in the room. Muggle music was playing, and despite only being three, Harry could recall the sound instantly. He could remember key moments of his life as if they happened yesterday, for good or for ill, and this, the attack of Lord Voldemort, was most definitely one of them. It was one of the last time that muggle music was played in Godric's Hollow, and as it was 1981, it was a song that Harry recognised instantly, Bob Marley and the Wailers, No Woman, No Cry, which was, according to his mother, eighteenth in the charts._

 _"Alright, Lils," said James, kissing his wife. "Are you ready?"_

 _"Of course, I'm just saying goodbye to the children," said Lily, as James hugged Lily from behind, putting his hands around her waist. "Aren't they cute? What do you think. Harry and Samuel."_

 _Harry was watching the four of them from the side of the room, but knew that he couldn't intervene in the surroundings. He could only watch as events played out before him. "Are you sure about your parents? Fleamont and Euphemia? Do you think they'll be able to handle the two?"_

 _"Of course," said James. "They raised me, didn't they?"_

 _"And that turned out incredibly well," said Lily, sarcastically, as James kissed her on the cheek. "Alright then. Let's see what Dumbledore has to say about this Prophecy."_

 _"It's going to be weird going back to Hogwarts," said James, putting his coat on. "Anyway, Mum and Dad should be here any second now. The floo-"_

 _Harry heard a loud crash and bang as James and Lily rushed downstairs to investigate the arrival of James' parents. Meanwhile, Harry went towards the window of the bedroom and looked out into the garden at the back, where he could see the troll, clobbering its way through the neighbourhood. Instantly he apparated behind a nearby fence, away from the memories, away from the night where everything changed, and an "Iter filum," later and several wire ropes shot out from the ground, like a tree root being upended. The wire ropes instantly wrapped themselves around the Cave Troll, which was clad in tough, metal armour, and instantly began to hold it down, dragging it into the floor._

 _The Cave Troll struggled, and broke free of the first few ropes, but as more and more attacked it, it was slowly pushed back, harder and harder, sinking into the ground. And then Harry went in for the kill, blasting its head into smithereens like it was nothing at all. Its headless body staggered backwards, and collapsed, before it moved no more._

 _"Well done," Riddle said, moments later, appearing behind him, sat on a nearby child's swing in a small garden, clapping his hands. "You defeated the troll. You've earned a reprieve, for now at least. Unless you feel you are ready to answer the question? To make it easier on you, I'll give you three guesses."_

 _"I get three tries?" said Harry. "But aren't there only two answers?"_

 _"So you'd think," said Riddle. "So, you'd think. So. What do you say? Which is the real world? The institution? Or the school? Go ahead. Toss a coin if you're stuck."_

 _Harry paused slightly, and said, starting with the first one that came to mind. "the Institution is real."_

 _There was a pause, when Riddle sat there, questioning him. "What makes you say that?"_

 _"I… couldn't use magic there. Everything that you, I mean, the other you, explained, it felt… real," said Harry, sitting down on a tree stump opposite Riddle. "And I'm just going through the options at this point."_

 _"Well, if your goal is not to be correct, then you're correct," said Riddle. "I mean. The Institution. It isn't real. Congratulations."_

 _"But what about the letter? From Grindelwald?"_

 _" Oh, Grindelwald can be a lying fool sometimes. I'm surprised that Lupin believed him. He realised that somebody had touched the Spear, and after working out that Lupin had gone to interview him and knowing that Riddle was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, assumed it was one of the good guys who got infected. So he would do anything to mess with you, play with your head, even if he can't see the results for himself" said Riddle. "I must admit, I can see why he does it. It's kind of fun. Getting inside your head."_

 _"So what happens now?" Harry asked._

 _"Now, you must continue," said Riddle. "Play the game until the end if it were. The dreams will continue to haunt you, but this time, The Spear will present different challenges. New. Unique ones. Maybe the next one might not be quite as easy as this first one appeared. Maybe you might even lose this one. Anyway. Good luck, Mr. Potter. You have the Triwizard Tournament to look forward to, after all. The first task. I believe that is coming up very soon."_

" _You're right," said Harry, after a pause, and then, looking at Riddle, he began to get a feeling that the dream he was in was coming to an end, he decided to add, "Wait. You're not really Riddle, are you? This is just a projection of who you are. The real Tom Riddle doesn't have this power or else I would've heard about it."_

 _Riddle smiled. "Congratulations."_

 _"So if you're not Riddle, who are you?"_

 _"I think the big question, Mr. Potter. Is not who I am," said Riddle, and then after a pause, added. "But who are you?"_

 _Before Harry could respond, he awoke, his eyes flickering open, and he wasn't, for the first time, in the room with the scientist and Tom Riddle, and the fake Tom Riddle was nowhere in sight. This was very much his bedroom in Hogwarts, and he was relieved to see the familiar non-hostile surroundings. Harry sat there in his bed for a second, and then, before he could do anything, he suddenly found his face covered with a pillow from an unknown source. He tried to wrestle for air, but before he could pull the pillow off his face, a short, sharp spell found himself knocked unconscious. The caster was silent and he wasn't able to even have a chance at identifying the voice, but it was enough to know that he had let his guard down, and he was in very big trouble._


	13. I'm In Love With A German Film Star

**Chapter Thirteen: I'm in Love with A German Film Star**

 **I.**

Harry awoke in an unfamiliar room. He tried to determine where he was, but that didn't take long, as within seconds he instantly was alerted to his new location in the form of the Shrieking Shack, the staging post for Lupin's jaunts as a Werewolf during his tenure as both student and professor. He climbed to his feet and instantly saw Mundungus Fletcher standing in the opening doorway, with a cup of tea in hand as though nothing was out of the normal. "Sorry 'bout the mess," Fletcher said. "And you know, the smell."

"It's smells like someone died in here," said Harry. "Is this where you've been living?"

"Maybe," said Fletcher, with a smile that clearly showed he was missing some of his teeth. "I know you mainly wanted to research criminal activity, but I figured with the Triwizard Tournament coming up, you could use the advantage of knowing what you're up against."

"So you decided to kidnap me? How the hell did you even get in past the defences?"

"Simple," said Fletcher, and produced a couple of hairs. "Polyjuice. Fairly easy to sneak in undetected if you know the secret passageways, and I happen to know a few. The wards can be a pain, though. And before you ask, I couldn't have sent you a letter, because they're being watched. They found out about Lupin, suppose you didn't want them finding out about me as well."

"So what am I up against?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at the man.

"Dragons."

"You're serious?"

"Of course," said Fletcher. "I went digging around, asking people in the know, and all. Turns out once you put the pieces together, and that the Ministry is bringing across several dragon handlers for the date of the first task from the continent, it wasn't too much of a leap to work out what you'd be up against."

"Thanks," Harry said. "Dragons. I've never fought a dragon before."

"It'll be in an arena," said Fletcher. "And you'll have to get something, I worked out, presumably an egg."

"Couldn't I just _accio_ it?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, but probably not. They'd put spells around it. Now, like I said, I did some digging," said Fletcher. "And the answer is simple. Tell me. What do you know of cacodemons?"

"Vaguely. Aren't they meant to be powerful spirits?"

"Yeah, they're damn handy in a fight as well," said Fletcher. "One term use, can pretty much solve a problem for anything. All you have to do is get a tattoo on your back, and then call it when you're free and it'll fight off what you need to beat. In this case… a dragon." 

"Cool," said Harry. "Do you know where I could find one?"

"Yes," said Fletcher. "Or more accurately. I know somebody who does. You coming?"

"Where are we going?"

"To see an old friend," Fletcher said, with a smile. "Let's get you hooked up."

"You know I can't bring anything into the arena with me but my wand, right?"

"I do," said Fletcher. "I've spoken to my… mutual acquaintance about it, therefore you're going to need to keep it hidden until you enter the arena. Thanks to a few simple uses of clever little spells, you can pick when the right moment is to reveal it. Unless, you'd rather face a dragon _without_ a cacodemon. Then it could get real nasty."

"Fine," said Harry. "It's not as if I came to you because I wanted to follow the rules, anyway."

"Now he gets it," said Fletcher with a smile. "Right then Mr. Potter, are we ready for a little trip?"

 **II.**

"Hey, hey, Harry!" It was the morning before the First Task and Hogwarts was already bustling with activity. Harry was slowly getting used to his new tattoo and had only solved a couple of minor cases that the map had presented to him, somebody who was left hanging upside down as to a result of a prank gone wrong from the Weasley Twins, and there was another case that he wasn't, frustratingly, able to solve, due to the nature of how impossible it was, as it brought up the name of a student who had been dead for years, and after looking at it further and speaking to the man in the portrait he had concluded it was an error. The map wasn't perfect, after all, and open to human error.

He had taken to writing up the cases, just in case anyone found the map after he had left Hogwarts, for instructions on what to do with it, upon the man's suggestion. He'd given the Colin Creevey case the name of ' _Cameraperson_ ,' and had called the Roger Davis case ' _A Hufflepuffs' Revenge_.' He even thought about publishing them under a collection of short stories, obviously using different names and a penname, but decided against it. After all, whilst he was under suspicion for vigilantism, it probably wasn't a good idea to draw any more attention to himself. "Harry," said the figure again, addressing him, and he turned around to face Samuel, his brother. "Hey."

"Hey," said Harry with a smile. They were alone in the hallway, apart from a couple of portraits. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," said Sam. "Hey, Harper and I were worried about you. I mean, at this point pretty much every Champion knows what the task is going to be, Delacour knows, Krum knows, and well, I know."

"It's dragons, right?" Harry asked, with a smile.

"How'd you know?"

"I have my ways," he said. "So you got a plan on how to defeat them yet?"

"Of course," said Sam, proudly. "I have an excellent idea. Trust me on this. How're you holding up though, after the whole, y'know… thing?"

He could tell that Sam still felt vaguely uncomfortable with the words 'Denouncement', and despite the fact that they didn't always get on, it was hard for Sam not to view Harry as part of his family. "Fine, I guess," said Harry. "I'm still undecided about a new name though. What do you think. Adams or Jones?"

"You should go Gryffindor, it'd really piss Dad off," said Sam. "And I don't think it's claimed."

"But we're not descended from Gryffindor," Harry said. "How would that work?"

"I thought we were," said Sam, disappointed.

"Really. Where'd you read that?"

"The Prophet. They ran a rumour about because I was the Chosen One, I must be descended from Gryffindor."

"You shouldn't believe everything you read in the news," said Harry, as Sam sighed. "Especially the Prophet."

"I just thought it'd be cool you know. Who gets to say that they have _founder_ blood in their veins?"

"Not us," said Harry. "So there's no point in me taking it, besides, I don't really want the trouble."

"Yeah, I bet you get that a lot. So, how's it going with Fleur Delacour?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at this comment. "What'd you mean?"

"Oh come on, isn't it obvious?" Sam said. "You two always go running together every morning, and there's this rumour that you went on a date to a nearby muggle village, I overhead Davis bragging about how he knew before anyone else."

"So he's still a bit of a dick, then."

"Not as much as he used to be. Hey, did you do something to him? He seems a bit put down."

"That actually wasn't me," said Harry, and seeing Sam's confused reaction, he added, "Word of advice, if you're ever in a fight, you want a Veela to be backing you up."

"I'll bear that in mind," said Sam, his eyes widening. "I figured I should tell you though, I might have actually finally found someone to go on a date with. You know they're going to be bringing the Yule Ball back this year, right?"

"What's the Yule Ball?"

"A tradition at every Triwizard Tournament," said Sam. "Dancing, and all that stuff."

"Oh no," Harry said. "Don't tell me we have to dance."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't dance," Harry said.

"Seriously? Didn't you go to the dancing lessons that Mum made us do?" Sam said, and seeing Harry's look, he shot back, "Oh. Right. Sorry."

"So, I'm waiting for a point."

"I actually may have got a date," said Sam, blushing.

"Already?"

"Yeah," said Sam. "I mean. I haven't asked her yet."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? How do you call that _having a date,_ if you haven't already asked her yet? Who is she?"

"A Durmstrang student," said Sam. "One of the ones my age, who's not competing in the Tournament but came over anyway because of her older brother. We talked at the breakfast table and kind of hit it off, so I figured, Y'know… And she didn't actually seem to care who I was that much. Plus, going with someone from a school considered Dark? It'd actually annoy Dad."

"You've got a point there," admitted Harry. "Wait. Why are you trying to annoy him?"

"Because he disowned you," said Sam. "Simple. We might not be able to let you back in, or at least, not until I'm head of the family, which won't be for a while, but if you ever need anything, like money, I'm sure I can get something for you. Even if I was caught, there's no way Dad would disown me or Harper."

Harry nodded understandingly. "Thanks. That means a lot."

"Anyway, I'd better get going," said Sam. "The girl's going to be there again today, and I might actually speak to her this time."

"You mean _you haven't even spoken to her yet_?" Harry said. "You know it's generally a good idea to get to know girls before asking them out on dates."

"Yeah, thanks for the advice, I got a little bit ahead of myself there," said Sam.

"So should we be expecting your marriage announcement anytime soon?"

"I wouldn't go that far," said Sam, his cheeks flushing bright red. "Well, like I said, I'd better get going. I'll see you at the Tournament later."

"Yeah," said Harry, smiling, and waved as he watched his brother head off down the corridor.

 **III.**

Just after lunch, Harry was called from his lesson into a private tent near the Quidditch Stadium. Krum and Fleur were already there with their respective Heads of Houses, and Fleur gave Harry a warm hug as he entered, which didn't go unnoticed by Madam Maxime. "You alright?" Harry asked. "Sorry I didn't get the chance to speak to you after, the Observatory. I've been busy."

Fleur nodded. "That, I can understand. I've been too busy to have much of a _vie sociale_ since the tournament began. You'll have to forgive me."

"It's not a problem," said Harry. "So. You've been training for this. You think you're ready?"

"Of course," said Fleur, but before she could add anything further Ludo Bagman walked into the room.

"Ah, ladies and gentlemen!" Ludo declared, putting on an overly-theatrical voice like he had just walked onto a stage production of _Hamlet._ With him was Barty Crouch, Albus Dumbledore and Rita Skeeter, along with to Harry's surprise, Ollivander, who had presumably come from his shop. "Greetings. You may be wondering why I have brought Mr. Ollivander with us today, and the answer is quite simple. Before the Tournament begins we must first require a brief weighing of the wands, just to make sure and to run over all the familiarities. Plus, I understand Rita here wants to have a few words with each and every one of you."

"That would be marvellous, Ludo dear," said Rita, with a smile, her eye lingering on Sam for a few seconds longer than necessary as he forced his way into the tent via a side-flap rather than the main entrance. "Ah, Mr. Potter. Good to see you could finally join us."

"Sorry I'm late," said Sam, joining Harry in the corner. "Professor Snape, um, he wanted to finish his class before the Tournament began and would only let me go at the last minute."

"Understandable, perfectly understandable," said Lugo. "Now. Mr. Ollivander. We have four wands that want to check are perfectly functionable, just so there aren't any issues in the tournament of course. Safety is paramount, and you my friend, are the best wand-maker in Britain, so I see no person better to do the honours."

"You are too kind, Mr. Bagman," said Ollivander, glancing at the champions. "Now… who shall I start with? Mr. Potter, the elder, I believe. Step forward, Harry?"

Harry stepped forward and held out his wand, which Ollivander took, and said, "Ah. I remember this wand. 10 and a half inches, Dragon Heartstring. Holly. One of my finer designs. Has it served you well these past six years?"

Harry nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good man," Ollivander said, and examined it closely. "Yes. It appears to be in fine order. Now, Mr. Krum. We shall look at yours next, I do believe."

"In the meantime, I would perhaps like to interview Mr. Potter privately?" Rita Skeeter asked him. "We are on a clock after all, it would merely, speed up the process."

"Of course," obliged Dumbledore before anyone could respond. "However, it is up to Harry on whether or not he wishes to respond."

"Sorry, I don't do interviews," said Harry, causing a frown on Rita's face. "Or Photographs."

"But surely, Mr. Potter, this is a perfect opportunity to get your face known," said Rita. "Show why you deserve to be as regarded as your brother. Perhaps prove your parents wrong in their decision to disown you?"

Harry's face remained passive. "I appreciate the offer, but thanks."

"Spoilsport," said Rita with a small smile as Krum finished having his wand weighed. "Mr. Krum, perhaps? How do you balance the fame of being a Quidditch star with your everyday life?"

"If Mr. Potter does not participate in interviews then there is no reason why I should as well," said Krum. "I believe that all champions must be interviewed or none at all. Nobody should share a spotlight over the other."

Rita frowned, and turned to Fleur. "My viewpoint is the same as my fellow champions," she said. "I do not take interviews. Or photographs."

"Then that only leaves Samuel here," said Rita, turning around finally on Sam, who shook his head, looking out of his depth.

"Sorry, Ms. Skeeter," said Sam. "I'm with the others on this one."

She scowled, and turned away. "Very well. Seeing as you do not wish to appear in Britain's most popular magical newspaper I will have to find someone who does want to be. I can tell when I am not wanted."

With that, she stormed out of the room. Once she was gone, Ludo breathed a sigh of relief. "You'd better watch out for that one. She's tenacious. Ahem. Now, Mr. Ollivander, is everything complete?"

Ollivander had been quietly and quickly checking the wands whilst Rita had been interviewing the Champions. "It is. I believe all wands are in working order."

"Very well," Lugo said. "Now, the important confirmation of the task is about to begin. I assume you are all unaware of what the upcoming task is?"

Everybody nodded. "Good," Lugo said, even though Harry was sure he knew that at least two, if not more of the room knew what they would be up against already. "Then, I will reveal, that each of you will go up against dragons. That's right! Four dragons have been brought over, one for each champion to face. And your goal is quite a simple and straightforward one. Get the golden egg. That's all you have to do. Avoid the Dragon, get the egg. The egg will contain a clue that will give you vital information on the next task, and you will be at a severe disadvantage if you do not get the information that you need, making succeeding at this task of the utmost importance."

The lack of shocked reactions from Krum and Fleur told Harry everything that he needed to know, that along with Samuel's warning, they had too been told about the dragons and knew what they were up against in advance. Thanks to Fletcher he knew as well, but was at least smart enough to fake a shocked reaction, even though there wasn't much point in doing so. "In order to decide the running, order this bag contains small, miniature replicas of the dragons that you will be facing in the arena. Each dragon will have a number on it and that will be the order in which you are to participate in the task. Miss Delacour, if you would be inclined to pick first."

She reached into the hat and produced a Common Welsh Green, and the small miniature dragon stood firm and proud in her hand. Next up was Sam, who got a Swedish Short-Snout, and Krum found himself facing a Chinese Fireball. Harry was last which left him with much to everyone else's surprise, a Hungarian Horntail, a creature which looked decidedly more fearsome than the rest of the miniature dragons in the room. "Oh dear," Ludo whispered, before silently covering his mouth after realising what he had just said. "That is a particularly nasty beast. Mr. Potter, are you sure you are still capable to face this dragon?"

"Well I've come this far," said Harry with a shrug. "No going back now."

"Excellent," said Ludo, regaining his composure. "Well, it is clear from the numbers that we shall start with the Swedish Short-Snout, and the youngest of us all. Good luck, Mr. Potter. I will need to take my seat in the commentary arena, and I will call for you momentarily."

 **IV.**

Slowly but surely, the numbers were whittled down and Bagman's commentary sounded like they were all fighting for their lives. Harry wondered what the inevitable reaction would be once he unleashed his cacodemon, but the more he waited, the more he began to formulate another idea. "Hey, Viktor," he said suddenly, addressing the Quidditch Champion in the room opposite him. "You're a famous Quidditch player, right? What make is your broomstick?"

"A Firebolt," confirmed Krum, and then added. "The best there is."

"The best there is," mused Harry. He had remembered flying before, briefly, when he had tried getting into the sport to impress his father, but it had only made his father angrier at him, and he hadn't played in years. Maybe he wouldn't have to use the cacodemon after all.. that could be saved for a later experience. "Can you describe to me what it looks like?"

Krum looked at him confused. "You do not know?"

"I don't play Quidditch as much as I used to. I play football, though. Sometimes."

"Football?"

Before Harry could explain what football was however, Krum was called out of the room, and he was clearly left at a loss. But that hadn't stopped an idea forming in his head regardless, an idea that once started, would not go away.

 **V.**

" _And now, ladies and gentlemen, it has been a long and enduring afternoon, but we have seen three enter, and now, the fourth, I give you, the Hogwarts Champion, Harry Potter!"_ Ludo Bagman shouted over his megaphone to the crowd, some were cheering, some were booing, some were remaining expressionless as he entered the stadium to get a full look at the Hungarian Horntail for the first time. The beast certainly packed a punch, and was incredibly intimidating to look at. It stood proud, high over its eggs, protecting them from harm. From what research Harry had been able to find out about dragons in the period between Fletcher telling him what they were he knew enough to know that this was female, likely the mother, and would be ten times more aggressive than the male if it viewed that someone was going after something it believed to be its own. As if the challenge wasn't daunting enough already, he had to face a dragon that believed it was a mother.

"Okay," Harry mumbled to himself, nervous. He was used to doing what he did best alone, as vigilantism wasn't normally a spectator sport. But he wasn't about to exactly crack under pressure and knew what he was capable of. He knew that as a last resort, he would use the cacodemon, unleash it among the dragon, but it didn't take a genius to establish that there would be bigger battles than the dragon to come and he wanted a Plan B for them, rather than just the dragon. He was smart enough to think ahead, his mind having been given enough time to think of alternative strategies, and despite his lack of experience at flying a broomstick, he wasn't a stranger to flying one and even Flitwick had told him personally at one point it was a shame that he was never allowed to try out for the team. That didn't lead to anything being done about it, as Flitwick adopted a hands-off approach that meant the students should be allowed to sort it out for themselves. He tried to add something to give him a boost in self-confidence as the dragon inspected its prey, arching back on its legs, bringing itself to bear. "You've got this."

And then the dragon _roared,_ properly, and loudly for the first time, sending a deafening scream around the stadium that sent people covering their ears. Harry realised instantly what the roar meant, what it signified.

It was a Battle Cry, a call for war. It knew why Harry was here, to take one of his eggs, and it was not going to go down easily. At the same time, although he was nervous, Harry couldn't help but grin in response, his eyes lighting up with excitement. This would probably be his biggest challenge yet, possibly even bigger than facing Bellatrix Lestrange in an unfair fight, and this could be exactly what he needed for a distraction from how increasingly screwed up his life was getting right now.

Of course, he mused that he could always be regretting this in the next hour or so, but for now, it was a perfect time to get down to business and show what he was capable of, cacodemon or no.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

The main story is going to take place outside of the canon events like the Triwizard tournament so I'll try and get these chapters that are the closest to the books out of the way as quickly as possible so we can move onto the more alternative stuff. I'm borrowing ideas from other shows here with the concept of the cacodemon, adapting its use from the excellent _The Magicians,_ which is very Potter-esque in its own right so it makes sense to have cacodemons in this universe as well. They won't necessarily be used here though but again; Chekhov's Gun exists for a reason…

The next chapter will see the First Task, the aftermath and a new name on the map. As usual, to speed things up, some liberties are taken with canon here.


	14. Cat People (Putting Out the Fire)

**Chapter Fourteen: Cat People (Putting Out the Fire)**

 **I.**

"And now, we are waiting for the Dragon or Harry Potter to make the first move," announced Bagman, "We've certainly seen some heroics from the previous champions, and I wonder, I just wonder, do we have anything specialleft? Surely there can be more than three ways to defeat a Dragon? Either way, I guess we're about to find out."

Harry ducked underneath a set of stones, that got increasing hotter by the second as the dragon unleashed a burst of fire on him. He glanced up at the Durmstrang contingent, and did his best to picture what a Firebolt would look like, and cast his wand skyward, shouting as he did so, " _Accio Krum's Firebolt_!"

For a moment, nothing happened, and he wondered if he had just wasted precious time. And then the firebolt appeared, properly, speeding towards him at a fast pace. He put every other thought aside from him in that second, bringing every memory of his Quidditch practise to bare, the extra hard work that he'd put on in a bid to become ten times better than the Ravenclaw students before he had realised that no matter what he did, Roger Davis would not let him on the team, and turned his attention to other sports instead, all those memories came flooding back over him. He climbed onto the Firebolt, swinging both legs over it and speeding fast to avoid the dragon's fireball that hit the floor of the stadium. The crowd cheered as they saw him take flight, almost making it to the egg the first time but the dragon was too close for him to pick it up, and he barely missed getting struck by the claw. The teenager lifted it skyward, and couldn't help admitting that the Firebolt was faster than it looked and wondered if Krum had modified it to improve its speed. Either way, it was fast, and he was going to have to be as fast as he possibly could in order to defeat the dragon.

Harry took the dragon away from the arena, but it broke free of its chains, hurtling after him much to the shocked cries of some of the students. The dragon ripped through the teachers' podium as it did so, sending Snape and McGonagall to the floor, but that didn't bother Harry as he was focused on the only thing that mattered right now, losing his tail. He took the dragon underneath the bridge, hoping to lose it in the arches, but it didn't follow him through the gap and pulled up just in time, crashing against the stone. He tried to swerve underneath the bridge again and bring it back around but was caught by the dragon, just out of view of the spectators, and flung onto the bridge where he landed in a crumpled heap.

In the thick fog that was rapidly developing, the dragon remained out of view for a second before it clasped back on its legs, roaring as it did so, sensing victory properly and truly for the first time. And then an idea formed in Harry's head slowly, as he tested the forbidden language that he had spoken once, long ago. " _Stop…"_

There was a moment of awkward silence, and the Horntail finally spat out a response, an ancient voice that had not spoken in centuries. " _You speak dragon tongue_?"

" _I know, surprising, right?"_ Harry said, and earned the look of disapproval from the dragon. " _Look. I know you're caged up. I know you don't want to be. I was thinking. Maybe, you and I could… help each other."_

" _Help each other? Humans? We have not bargained in centuries. Most of my kind has forgotten how to speak,"_ said the Horntail. " _Yet here is a Speaker who can understand us. Tell me. Where did you find this power? Were you born into it?"_

"I'm still working it out,"

said Harry _,_ glancing into the fog that obscured the view between himself and the stadium. He had a working theory, but was quickly dismissed because he wasn't the Boy Who Lived. He knew that for a fact. His brother was. Yet he was able to speak the language. " _But I can speak it, and you can speak it, so we can, like I said, help each other. I know how much you value your eggs, your offspring. What if I told you one of them was an imposter?"_

The dragon roared in anger, but Harry got the feeling that this was anger that had been built up for a long time. " _Do you not think I already know this? I, a Dragon, Know. Know, that I know. I have walked the earth for centuries, human, I have seen the fall of Gods and the Rise of Emperors. Do you not think I would not be able to tell a faux egg? Do you think me so beneath myself?"_

"Sorry,"

Harry couldn't help but apologise. " _But I have a plan_. _Listen, if you let me get the fake egg, I can help you escape with yours._ "

" _How do you propose that? I could burn everyone in this community right here and now, take the eggs for myself and flee."_

"They're protected by charms, and they have several Dragon-tamers with them. If you want a headstart, allow yourself to be recaptured,"

said Harry. " _And then at midnight, I'll set you free. And the others. The guards will be knocked unconscious and you'll get a headstart to go wherever you wanted."_

 _"Return… Return to my captors? Why would I do that? What guarantee do I have that you won't forget about me and leave me to go back to my endless torment that I have endured for decades?"_

"What guarantee do I have that you won't burn the school down when I set you free?"

Harry countered. " _This way we have a deal. You've waited decades for freedom. I can give you that in a matter of hours."_

" _They will surely suspect something If I just let you take the egg,"_ said the dragon. " _I cannot sit here distracted while you attack. I have to be seen doing something, if what you say is true."_

"You're right,"

Harry said, after a pause. " _Five second head start good enough for them do you think?"_

The Dragon took a moment to think it over, before eventually nodding in understanding. " _Five seconds. That deal is acceptable."_

The Dragon roared, and Harry sensed it was going to burst fire out at him, but instead he was able to jump off the edge of the bridge before the fire burst, landing firmly on top of the broomstick, grasping the firm wood as he rode it towards the Quidditch pitch. He could see it getting closer and closer, and dared a glance back at the dragon, and could see that it too, was gaining. Pushing the Firebolt faster, Harry soared, becoming visible again to the crowd, and with a look of triumph on his face, couldn't help but feel immensely satisfied as he grabbed ahold of the golden egg, coming to a crashing halt at the feet of the judges.

The dragon came in close behind Harry, and it too recognised that Harry had claimed the egg, and did its best to act as natural as possible as it was subdued by the dragonkeepers, putting up a pretence of resistance. _'I have one more request, human,_ ' the dragon suddenly spoke in Harry's mind. ' _These foolish wizards do not know it yet, but amongst these eggs, there is a real one that belongs to me. I would like it returned with my escape, but if it is harmed in any way, I will burn Hogwarts to the ground.'_

' _I don't know how you're inside my head right now, but I'll do my best,_ " said Harry,

' _Once a dragon has established contact with a human, they can communicate through telepathic thoughts and instructions,'_ said the dragon. ' _I understand you are known as Harry Potter.'_

' _I feel like I'm at a disadvantage, you know my name but I don't know yours.'_

' _I go by many names, but you may call me Arkenthias,'_ the dragon said, and the name sounded familiar in Harry's mind, but he couldn't quite place would have to head to the library later, but that would have to wait, as Harper and Sam instantly approached him, looking enthusiastic and cheerful.

"Wow, Harry, that was amazing!" said Sam, "I didn't know you could fly. And is that… Viktor Krum's Firebolt? Where did you get it?"

"He probably wants it back," said Harry with a shrug, as Sam couldn't help but run his hand along it, awed. "How did you get on?"

"I got on pretty well," said Sam.

"Pretty well? You did great," Harper said. "Seriously. You're younger than everyone here, present company included, and you still managed to beat the Dragon. I guess you're as good at transfiguration as your dad."

"What did he do?" Harry asked Harper as they headed up to the judge's panel.

"Oh, he transfigured a rock to distract the dragon," said Harper. "It was actually pretty good. He got the rock to bounce into other rocks to distract the dragon, and then played loud muggle music that deafened pretty much _everybody_ , the dragon included."

"Loud muggle music, huh? Guess my influence is rubbing off on you. What did you pick?"

"I'm not too familiar with it, but I think it was Sabotage. The Beastie Boys," pointed out Sam, causing Harry to wince.

"Ouch. So yeah. Pretty loud," Harry said, turning to the judges who were rustling up to their feet. "I probably got minus points because most of my stuff happened outside of view."

"You did do it in record time, though," said Harper. "And not even Krum thought of flying."

"Good job too, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get his broom," said Harry.

"And now Mr. Potter is back in place," said Ludo Bagman, his voice amplified over the stadium. "We will conduct a score that will reward the participant out of five. It was ten in previous tournaments, but due official requests, it was lowered down. Five represents an outstanding achievement, whilst one represents the lowest score. As Professor Dumbledore is the hosting judge, he will be first, and then we will proceed counter-clockwise, ending up at where I am sitting. Professor Dumbledore, if you please."

Dumbledore held up a four, causing a small smile from Harry. He was followed by Karkaroff, who gave a one, much to the scowls of some of the Ravenclaws, but then Madame Maxine followed up with a three and a half. Bagman was next, giving a five, Harry's highest score, as Barty Crouch followed next, giving a three to wrap up the scores. "Not bad," said Harry, to himself. It came to a total of 16.5.

"You did great," Sam said. "That's a tie with me. Krum got higher, and we finished a point ahead of Fleur Delacour. So it's fairly close."

"Did they say anything?" Harry asked Harper, obviously meaning his parents.

"Our parents," corrected Harper, "Left after Sam's to see him in the infirmary."

"In the infirmary? What happened?"

"Dragon tore at my arm in the last possible second," said Sam, wincing. "Thankfully Madame Pomfrey got it fixed up so I don't have to wear a sling, which is good. They missed your performance. Sorry."

"Not like it would have changed their mind," said Harry with a shrug.

"I don't know," said Harper. "I talked to mum the other day and she seemed to regret it, but wanted you to leave at the end of the year anyway. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened for them to hate you so much, it's almost like they've been cursed."

"You think they have?"

"Well it's not beyond the realms of possibility," said Harper, as Krum was climbing up the steps towards Harry recognising the Firebolt in his hand. "Speaking of realms of possibility…"

"What's that got to do with Krum?"

"Oh, nothing, I just wanted to add something at the end of Speaking of," said Harper, as Harry scowled, before turning around to Krum.

"I notice you appear to have my broomstick," said Krum, a smile on his face indicating that he was not in the least bit annoyed by this development. He spoke slowly, but was demonstrating a basic knowledge of English as his accent was still incredibly thick. "Normally this would have caused me of great concern. But you fly well, Mr. Potter. It has proven that you can be trusted with it."

"Thanks," said Harry, offering the broomstick back to Krum. "Here. It's yours."

"I think you've earned it," said Krum, after a pause. "Would I be correct in assuming that you don't have a broomstick of your own?"

"I don't. But this is too much," said Harry. "I don't even play Quidditch as much as I used to."

"Then maybe you might consider it an exchange," said Krum. "In the benefit of international co-operation between the two schools. Whilst we are not participating in the tournament, I would like to play Quidditch with you. And any of your student body that wishes to compete."

"That could actually work," said Harry as they headed down the stairs. "They didn't say anything in the rules against competing unofficially. How are we going to manage this though? Six teams? Four from each house, one from Durmstrang and one from Beauxbatons?"

"A six team mini-league could work," suggested Sam. "I know the Gryffindors would be up for it, the Hufflepuffs too. We can easily get the team together. But what about Durmstrang and Beauxbatons' houses? Do you have houses?"

"I get the feeling that they are not as divided as Hogwarts' houses are," said Krum. "Co-operation on Quidditch would however be a good way to ensure the interhouse union. My Headmaster would approve."

"As would my Headmistress," said Fleur, appearing from in front of them. "I do not play myself, but I know certain members of my school are missing the Quidditch field. I will speak to her."

"No trophies," said Harry. "No points or anything like that. Keep it friendly, civilised. Don't want things getting too out of hand."

"With our concentration on the Tournament," said Fleur. "I can see why you'd want something like that. So. A series of Friendly Matches, is that what you're proposing?"

"Huh. I didn't know Quidditch did Friendlies," said Harry. "But sure. Unlimited substitutions as well, so if the game drags on for long people can bring on reserves who get tired."

Fleur gave him a funny look. "What?" Harry asked. "Isn't there a three subs limit?"

"No, you're thinking about football," said Harper. "Quidditch does that already."

"What?"

"Are you _sure_ you've ever played this game before?"

 **II.**

The celebrations were already well underway by the time that Harry arrived back in Ravenclaw Tower with the Golden Egg. Roger Davis, of all people, had managed to hoist him up on his shoulder and Harry couldn't help but go along with it, so the whole of Ravenclaw could see Harry, who they were awed. "If I'd have known how good you were at flying I would have put you on the team earlier," said Roger, by way of apologising. "Next year, you can have any spot that you want. Or this year too, if the Tournament goes ahead."

"Thanks," Harry said, still feeling wierded out by the attitude that Roger was showing to him as if the last five years hadn't happened at all, but at the same time he wasn't too ready to call him out on it yet. It seemed like this was a genuine attempt at self-reflection and a reform. "So. Are we ready to see what's inside this thing?"

A loud chorus of the affirmative echoed around Ravenclaw Tower. "Alrighty then," Harry said, putting one hand on the top of the egg. He opened it, and a loud screech echoed throughout the room, causing plenty of people to cover their ears in shock. Harry almost was dropped from on top of Roger, and had to immediately slam the top of the egg back on board.

"What the hell was that?" one of the Ravenclaws whose name Harry didn't know said.

"They couldn't, could they? Given how cold the lake will be in February?" it was Cho who came to the realisation, having deduced what the task could possibly be within seconds.

"What?" Roger asked.

"It's something to do with the merpeople," explained Cho. "They exist beneath the water."

"Wait, they expect us to dive _underneath_ the lake in February?" Harry asked. "I can't swim."

"You're serious," said Cho, realising Harry's expression. "The Brother of the Boy Who Lived _can't swim_?"

"Well, it's not like my parents took me to swimming lessons," said Harry. "But I don't think I have to worry about that. You see. High pitched screams. There's three, maybe three things I think it could be other than what you've just said. The first. _M_ _onstra_ _L_ _ava_ _,_ which I really, really hope it isn't. The second, Veela. The third, I don't know. Maybe Filch singing in the shower?"

There was a loud chorus of laughter that echoed around the room as Harry made his final point. "Monstra Lava?" asked a first year. "What's that?"

"A terrifying creature," said Roger. "I've heard of those. Their name translates to Lava Monster in Latin. I guess wizards back then were pretty literal. They were found in Ancient Rome underneath the last Coliseum, rumoured to have come from the underworld itself. You aren't seriously suggesting that you have to fight one of those things are you?"

"Well, when you put it like that," said Harry. "I hope it's the merpeople. But unless someone finds out from the Ministry whether any Monstra Lava have been imported into Scotland or will be imported in the next few months, we've got no way of knowing."

"Actually," said Marietta Edgecombe. "We might have one. Monstra Lava need to thrive in a hot location, somewhere warm, about as hot as the underworld itself. That's why there are very few of them left, and their location has to be there months in advance. So rather than paying attention to monsters arriving in Scotland we could simply search the ground and see if there are any areas that have already been cordoned off in preparation."

"In that case, you might want to try the third floor corridor," said Padma Patil, "It's been declared off limits again. So unless the Philosopher's Stone didn't get destroyed and they're using it to hide it again…"

"That's where we start our search," said Harry with a nod. "Thanks, Padma."

"Anytime," the younger girl said with a smile, as Harry didn't bother to ask exactly what she was doing on the third corridor. "It makes sense too. They didn't announce it to the students this year. I guess they thought that nobody would go looking for it unlike last time."

"Hey, it's not my fault my brother is a suicidal maniac who decided to go after one of the most feared Dark Lords on his own at the age of eleven," Harry protested. The news following the disappearance of Quirrell had of course in a school full of gossipers become public knowledge, and now Harry was having to live with the consequences of that fact. He had successfully managed to hold off Riddle long enough so that Sam had been able to urn Quirrell's face off with his hands due to their connection with the Horcrux, but the wounds from his injuries had been too severe to attend the final school celebrations and as a result he had missed Gryffindor winning the House Cup for the first time. Not that it bothered him too much, of course, being a Ravenclaw and with little interest in the House point system.

"And twelve, and thirteen," pointed out Padma, as Harry sighed again. "Honestly, it's a miracle he isn't dead yet."

"Just twelve actually, thirteen was Pettigrew," said Harry.

"But he was trying to get to You-Know-Who, wasn't he?"

"Shut up," scowled Harry. "Anyway. I'm going to bed. See you lot in the morning."

 **III.**

Harry didn't sleep that night, of course. As soon as he made his way into his dormitory he put the _notice-me-not_ charm on himself and snuck out through the front door again, but given that the party had resumed in full fashion, he really didn't need to. Music was playing on the speakers already which he recognised as a product from Jason's store, in the form of the Runaways' _I Love Playing With Fire._ The song followed him all the way down to the area where the dragons were still being kept, all four of them, and Harry could tell that something was agitating them by how noisy they were being. It was only after he had stunned all of the Dragon tamers that he stopped to speak to Arkenthias, who was angrily battering at its cage, demanding to be freed.

" _Liars, treachery, thieves, fools_!" Arkenthias screeched, howling in rage uncontrollable rage.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, approaching the dragon. "I'm here. Sorry I couldn't have come sooner. Formalities."

" _I know all about formalities,_ " the Horntail said. " _But worries me more is the lies! The eggs. The eggs, Harry Potter. The eggs."_

"What about them? I thought they were all fake?"

" _I have been informed by Delgasis that they are very much not all_ imposters," said the dragon, angrily. " _One of them is real, and contains Delgasis' child."_

"Oh God," Harry realised suddenly what the implications of this might be. "Did you see who took it? I can reclaim it for you."

" _No,"_ said the dragon. " _You cannot. You must hold up your end of the bargain whilst the tamers are unconscious. Release me and my brothers."_

"If you hold up your end of the bargain," said Harry. "I will. Leave Hogwarts alone."

" _You are in no position to bargain,_ " the Dragon said. " _It is your fault. If you had come sooner or had allowed me to escape in the ring and free my brothers and sisters, none of this would have happened. But now they have a real egg that they believe to be fake, and if I am to understand correctly… they plan to destroy them._ "

Harry nodded. "Alright then. I'll let you go, get the egg and bring it back to you."

" _Thirty minutes, Harry Potter. Thirty minutes._ "

"Deal," said Harry, and cast the spell to unlock the cage. The Horntail in response roared a terrifying warcry, unleashing it across the Forest, shattering any glass in the nearby vicinity. Scrambling for cover as the Horntail ripped at the nearest cages containing its allies, Harry felt something jolt him in his side and in response, he unscrambled the map to reveal a new name had appeared on it.

Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff in his brother's year, a Victim of the Basilisk and someone who had almost killed Roger Davis. Now he was in danger from something, or responsible for something, and time was of the essence. The threat could come around instantaneously, and if that happened, he would have to divert his attention away from the dragons, which presented a new dilemma.

The boy or the egg?


	15. Fox on the Run

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter 15: Fox on the Run**

 **I.**

Harry found an unconscious dragon-tamer near the premises and, after doing his best to make his face obscure, resembling the Man in the Suit, he woke him up, recognising him distinctively as Charlie Weasley, the older Weasley brother. "Who the hell are you?"

"Nobody that you need to concern yourself with," said Harry. "But what's more important right now Mr. Weasley is that our interests for the foreseeable future are aligned. Right now, while you were unconscious, the dragons escaped."

"Oh no," Charlie began to lose his cool. "Oh no. Oh. No. It's about the egg, isn't it? I told them! I _told_ them it was real!" 

"As far as I'm aware we have thirty minutes to retrieve the egg or else the dragons will attack Hogwarts," said Harry. "I'm no expert in Dragon tongue but I managed to get the logistics together fairly easily."

"So we have thirty minutes to save Hogwarts."

"No," Harry corrected. "I have thirty minutes to save Hogwarts. Sorry."

"But… what did you wake me up for? Are you insane?"

"Quite possibly," Harry said. "But that's not the point. The point is that I need to know where the eggs are being kept."

"They're being kept in the kitchens were they're going to be burnt," said Charlie. "It's the only way to destroy them en masse. But they might already have burnt them by now."

"Well then for your sake you better hope that isn't the case," said Harry. "What egg am I looking for?"

"Something that's about to hatch. It's older and more well-cared for than the rest. If I come with you I can-"

"No, you can't," said Harry. "I need you to go to Dumbledore. Tell him to alert the school. I know it's late. But as powerful as the wards are, if the eggs are already burnt, the Dragons are old enough to know how to break them down if they wish."

"You're right," said Charlie, looking at Harry, his face obscured by the spell. "But one more thing. Who do I say you are?"

"You don't," said Harry, keeping his voice disorientated all this time so Charlie wouldn't recognise it. Not that they'd shared much interaction in the past but Charlie knew his brother well enough back when he was friends with Ron Weasley to put the pieces together. Charlie turned around to look at Harry but Harry had already vanished, having took off at a sprint. He couldn't contact Lupin for help because for the most part now he was on his own. He couldn't go to anyone for help otherwise that would risk raising questions. Thankfully nobody else at the school to the best of his knowledge could speak Dragon tongue, making it less likely that the Dragon would be able to reveal his identity, and he had been very careful in dispatching the dragon tamers so that they hadn't even seen him there.

He brought up the map again as he entered through the main door, thankfully empty at this time in the evening but just to be on the safe side he re-activated his _Notice-Me-Not_ charm and was relieved to see that it came to use moments later when he noticed two young students taking this opportunity to go on a midnight escape through the nearby gardens. A quick glance at the map informed Harry that Justin Finch- Fletchley was currently on the ground floor, making his own way to the Kitchens, which was fairly near the Hufflepuff Common Room. ' _What brings you to the Kitchens this late at night? A midnight snack?'_ Harry thought, wondering if the most obvious answer was the correct one, but knowing his luck, that would never turn out to be that way. If he had been paying more attention he also would have noticed an unusual cluster of students lurking in the more desolate parts of the dungeons, further away from the Slytherin common room, but he paid that no heed and instead focused more on getting to the Kitchens, which didn't take him longer than five minutes from when he entered the castle.

' _Thankfully they weren't burning them in the Owlery,_ ' Harry mused, and eventually made his way successfully to the Kitchens, noticing that Justin Finch- Fletchley had just left. He also spotted another name on the map in green font that belonged to the map's owner, following Justin, which poked his curiosity even further. ' _Harry Potter? But I'm right here. That doesn't make sense.'_ He double checked the map again but the Harry Potter on the map had vanished, leaving just his own self there. He was tempted to go after the source and investigate the disappearance, but it was most likely a glitch. After all, Salazar Slytherin was only human.

He made his way through empty Kitchens. Most of the House Elves save one or two were absent, busy cleaning the various common rooms and buildings across the school, and the one or two that were there paid him no heed thanks to his spell. The noises grew louder and clear as he could hear the loud roar of the fires, usually reserved for food cooking, being used to dispose of the fake eggs. "Gentlemen," Harry couldn't help but announce his presence to the room, disabling the spell once he was out of sight of the tired House Elves who would not give him any bother and relished in seeing the shock of the two men who were hauling the last twelve eggs into the fires. "I'm afraid I can't let you burn those eggs."

"Who does he think he is?" one of the Tamers said, grabbing one of the eggs in his hand. Harry's face was obscured from view, and no matter how hard they looked they could not identify any passing resemblance in who he was. "Hey. You do realise these are fake, right? Look."

The tamer threw an egg at the wall and it shattered into pieces, revealing nothing in sight. He picked up another one and hurled it at Harry, who caught it in both of his hands, just in case this was the real one, only to be disappointed and caught off guard as he was blasted back across by the other Tamer. Thankfully the spell was just a light one which Harry was able to shrug off fairly easily and he quickly brought the two low with simple stunners. The basket of eggs that remained were his within moments, but it didn't take him long to realise to his horror that out of the six that remained, there was none left.

"No, no, no, no," It was Harry's turn to look dejected, his cockiness vanishing from his personality and replaced with fear. He was tempted to cast a spell on the fire to cancel it and search for the egg but there was no way of knowing how long it had been in there, no way of knowing at all. "That's not good. Not good at all."

He could always attempt to pass off the egg as a fake to the dragons but dismissed that thought as quickly as it entered his brain, there would be no escaping him. And then almost seconds later an idea merged into his head as the minutes entered fifteen. _Hermione Granger._ She couldn't have kept the Time-Turner after her third year but after the Department of Mystery's Approval it was still kept at the school for safe-keeping in the event of the destruction of all of them at once, leaving one in a safe place at somewhere that would be no other than Dumbledore's Office, the most secure room in Hogwarts. He wouldn't be able to get there in fifteen minutes, more like twenty, given how far up the Castle it was, meaning he would miss the Dragon's deadline, but that wouldn't matter if he went back in time and returned the egg before it happened. It meant that he'd have to persuade Dumbledore – but with luck, Dumbledore would be rallying the teachers by now in preparation of an incoming dragon attack, giving him plenty of time to sneak in unnoticed.

 **II.**

Harry arrived at Dumbledore's office just as the Headmaster and Charlie Weasley left, rushing down the stairs in the opposite direction. A loud roar echoed throughout the Castle moments later as the Dragons' deadline had expired, forcing Harry to act quickly in an attempt to guess the password. "Sherbet Lemons! Fizz! Crackle! Pop! Cinnamon Rolls!"

The guard gave him a look of disapproval, but opened the door anyway, revealing the staircase behind it. "Which one was it?" Harry couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Cinnamon Rolls," the statue responded.

"Of course," Harry said, thanking the statue and sprinting up the stairwell as Dumbledore's voice began to echo throughout the hall.

" _Students of Hogwarts, please remain calm. We are under attack…"_ Dumbledore continued to announce, but Harry shut the speech out of his mind and concentrated more on finding the Time Turner. As expected, Fawkes shrieked as Harry entered, but quickly calmed down once he realised who it was.

"There we go," Harry said. "Now, I don't suppose you happen to know where the Time Turner is, would you? It's kind of an emergency."

The Phoenix paused for a second, and then took off, flying over to the spyglass near the observatory. Harry bowed his head in gratitude and sprinted over to the Time Turner, pausing to look briefly down at the damage caused below. The dragons had already begun to attack the school, all four of them, unleashing fire like there was no other alternative available. Harry shot a look back at Fawkes as he began to turn the time-turner. "Never. Ever. Deal with dragons."

Fawkes shot him a look back in response as if to say ' _It was your fault,'_ and Harry couldn't help but agree more with the Phoenix. He spun the time-turner three times before realising that he would have to contend with Dumbledore who would still be in his office, but to his surprise, the when Harry showed up directly in front of him, Dumbledore did not look surprised at all.

"I trust something must be of grave importance in the future if I allow you to borrow this time-turner," said Dumbledore. "And if Fawkes trusts you… What do you need?"

"Is there a shortcut to the Kitchens?" Harry asked. "From here?"

"You can take the floo," said Dumbledore. "It will spit you out at the nearest castle. I dare not ask anymore, but I pray that you do not alter the future _too much._ Catastrophic events happen to those who alter the fabric of time."

"I think time's already been altered," said Harry, approaching Dumbledore's private fireplace, glancing back at The Headmaster.

"Well in that case," said Dumbledore, accepting defeat. "I expect to have that Time Turner returned to me when whatever you have to accomplish is done, Mr. Potter. I don't need to tell you what happens if you keep it for a second longer than necessary."

"I'll be sure to return it, Headmaster," said Harry, nodding back at him. "Thanks."

Harry spoke his destination, and disappeared into the floo network, briefly glancing at the clock on Dumbledore's wall. He had fifty minutes to save Hogwarts.

 **III.**

"Alright, Jack," said one of the Dragon Tamers, who had just finished lighting the fire. "Which batch do you want to burn first?"

"That one will do," said Jack, glancing down at the crate. "Bloody kids. Can't believe this, We're wizards. Surely there's got to be some spell that removes dragon eggs easier? Can't the House Elves do it anyway?"

"House Elves aren't Dragon Tamers. Just _in case_ something goes wrong we need to be there. Some idiot might think they're real for one, and a House Elf ain't gonna do much good against a wizard who knows what they're doing. Besides. I heard a rumour that one of them might actually be real."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Bet you'll never guess which one."

"If that's the case then surely, we shouldn't be burning them, right? If one of these is real it could be worth a _fortune,"_ said Jack. "We could retire tomorrow."

"Or get arrested for stealing property and have ourselves stripped of our job and sent to Azkaban," warned the one whose name Harry didn't know. "Besides. Dragon eggs? That spells trouble. Remember what happened to that Yank? Trevor whatshisface?"

"Stewart," corrected Jack, wincing at the memory. "Yeah. I remember."

Rather than announce himself this time knowing what moves the two would likely try, Harry decided to waste no further time listening to their conversation and fired two short stunners, causing them to drop to the floor in quick succession, with enough of a break in-between for Jack to drop one short look of surprise before he too was stunned. Searching the eggs, Harry immediately spotted what he was looking for, and seized it, before turning around and retreating at a brisk pace. However, almost immediately as he turned the corner he found himself suffering from a far more brutal whack in the face than he had anticipated from someone like Justin Finch- Fletchley.

Wincing in pain, Harry took into account the driven, antagonistic look on his face that belonged far more to a Slytherin than a Hufflepuff, he staggered backwards into the wall behind him, almost dropping the egg but losing enough concentration so that Justin could grab it from him. The fourteen-year-old took off at a brisk pace forcing Harry to match his speed as he reached the spot on the map where the past Harry would come around the corner. Instantly he tried the _accio_ spell on the egg but Justin was able to counter it, and Harry returned fire almost instantly once he was close enough in range, catching Justin unawares. He was blasted backwards but so too was the egg, forcing Harry to abandon the position of the duelling stance in favour of a lunge towards it before it hit the floor and crashed open, no doubt killing whatever was inside.

Thankfully, Harry caught it a split second before it hit the floor, causing Justin to yell out, "What have you done?" as though he had dropped it, infuriated by Harry's actions. In the chaos, Harry had forgotten to keep his face altered, allowing Justin to view him up close. He thought about putting his mask up with the spell and altering his voice, but it was too late now.

"Oh, nothing, I just wanted a trophy to remind me of my greatest success," Harry put on a look of false bravado, hoping that this approach would work. He meanwhile glanced at a nearby grandfather clock before shooting a look back down the corridor, realising that the past Harry would come around, any second now, put the pieces together on the map, and maybe this time, look up. And then history would change forever. He needed to act fast, so instantly, pulled Jason into the space next to the grandfather clock, sheltering him from view, and clasping a hand on his mouth to prevent him from speaking.

Footsteps and the sound of someone running could be heard following Harry and seconds later, the past Harry rushed into the room. Knowing it would be only seconds before the past Harry came out again the present Harry kept his hands tightly wrapped around Justin's mouth, made all the more difficult because he was trying to bite his way out now, having realised that kicking against Harry's body wasn't going to work, the sixth year was far too strong for that, and it was only after Harry left the room for the second time his present self-allowed Justin to drop to the floor, wincing at the pain caused in his hand, and adding, "Wow. You really know how to bite, don't you? Ow."

"Can't you just leave well enough alone for once?" Justin protested, and Harry took into the account the distinct blank expression in his eyes. "The egg… The egg was my ticket out of here!" 

"Out of Hogwarts? I don't follow," said Harry, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you want to leave?"

"I did something stupid," Justin said, as Harry couldn't help but glance back at the clock. "Oh, man. I don't know why. I just, I don't know. I wanted to be better. Like you. Capable of doing some good. And. Oh. No, no, no, it's happening again." 

Justin bent over backwards in agony, clutching his back as a sharp jolt of pain shot up through his spine. "I escaped before they could finish the process," Justin said. "I panicked, I got out at the last possible second. But part of it, part of it's still in my body! I can feel it there, it's still _there_ Harry. Oh god. I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"You are not going to die," Harry said. "What's wrong? Who set you up like this?"

"He won't let me tell you," said Justin. "I'm sorry. He won't. I try and I try. But one thing he has over me is that I can't speak his name."

"What. Like you can't speak Voldemort's name?"

"This is worse," Justin said. "Much worse than You-Know-Who… Please. I don't know who to trust anymore. I know you're you. I know Dumbledore's Dumbledore. But beyond that, he could have got to anyone. The staff, maybe. He has followers everywhere. I don't know. I was planning to steal the egg and sell it to raise enough money. I figured the further away I was from that thing, the further…"

Harry glanced at the clock again, a more pressing matter immediately at hand. "Look, Justin. I know you're scared okay? But right now, I need that egg to get back to its father. Because otherwise… the dragons are going to burn Hogwarts to the ground. And everyone inside it, including you if you try to escape. Trust me. I've seen it."

"How?"

"You heard those footsteps back there?" Harry asked, and Justin nodded. "That was me."

"But you're right here."

"I mean that was me from the past. Or rather the present," Harry corrected. "I'm still me, but from the future. If I don't get this egg back within five minutes then…"

"Hogwarts dies," said Justin, nodding. "Alright. I can see that this would be the more pressing matter at hand."

"Five minutes to get back to the dragon cages," said Harry. "And then I know how to get you what you want."

"What's that?"

"The White Lady," said Harry. "A supposedly being, she's reportedly rumoured to exist in the Forbidden Forest. If you capture her, then you get one wish granted."

"Okay…" Justin nodded. "The White Lady. I think I've heard of her. I'll buy it. I mean, I don't have much in the way of choice." 

A loud shout suddenly echoed throughout the corridor, as Harry heard the vaguely familiar voice of one of the Durmstrang students, who had just turned the corner and was accompanied by a mixture of Hogwarts and Beauxbatons students from different houses. "Oh. And have I mentioned," Justin added. "We might have company."

"Oh good," Harry said with a smile. "Let's go."

 **IV.**

Towards the entrance to the forbidden forest but not far enough so that they would be visible from the castle windows, the four dragons sat in the clearing, having been freed by their oppressors. Arkenthias was the oldest, at the head of the party, looking down at an angered Delgasis, the only other female dragon in the group. It was clear that she was becoming more and more agitated by the second, roaring in agony at the apparent betrayal. " _The Boy is obviously not coming. Why waste time? We should attack now, while we still have the element of surprise-"_

" _No. We wait another minute,_ " Arkenthias responded, ever the voice of reason, calm and agitated. " _Given how long we have waited. I pride myself to be a good judge of character. The speaker has never wronged me yet._ "

" _The speaker,_ " Delgasis said. " _The Speaker is a fool. He does not know the power that he has, the power of a Dragon Lord. He could control you or I if he wanted to and bend us to his will. Whatever a Lord says, we must obey."_

"And that is why I preferring to leave you to the element of choice," said a tired, panting and out of breath Harry, clutching the egg in his hands. It had been relatively easy to dispatch the students chasing after him, fooling them into going in another direction and then retreating back the way that they had come. With Justin in tow, Harry had successfully managed to lead them off and now he came running to a stop, clutching the egg. "Here. Your egg. Genuine. I had a little bit of trouble getting it, but…"

Arkenthias laughed. "Did you hear that?" Justin asked, momentarily confused by the tongue that Harry was speaking. "He just laughed. What did you say to it? How can you speak dragon tongue?" 

"Actually, I think you'll find that he is a she," Harry.

"Oh."

" _And she is very pleased that her ally's egg has been returned, and that you have kept your end of the bargain,"_ Arkenthias said. " _If you ever need my help in the future, human. I will gladly return the favour. You have proven yourself to be honourable, and trustworthy. A rare feat among wizards these days."_

 _"_ You don't have long," said Harry. "One of the tamers will have alerted Professor Dumbledore by now."

" _The old fool could not hurt us if he tried,_ " said Arkenthias. " _It was only by luck that we were bound and captured in the first place._ "

"Well, that's mildly comforting," said Harry. "Anyway… I have a question. Just one before you leave. Why were you laughing?"

" _Because I sense that somebody has interfered with time,_ " Arkenthias warned. " _And interfering with time, changing the course of history, my, my, you must really care about this school and its people, mustn't you?"_

 _"_ I try," said Harry, as Justin glanced worryingly around, as if to expect someone would come out of the shadows at any moment.

" _There is a far greater evil lurking in this castle that you have just awakened, Harry Potter,_ " said Arkenthias. " _It has sensed who you are and the threat you pose, and now it is willing to act. It is an evil as old and as terrifying as the castle itself. For your sake, and mine… I hope you are ready for what is about to come._ _Consider this a warning, and the only one that I will give you."_

Harry glanced back at Justin. "Is this the thing that's infected you?"

"Yeah," said Justin, not knowing what the dragon had said but knew enough that this had been a question to get its meaning.

Arkenthias shot a look that was something of pity in the direction of Justin, and turned around and gestured towards her compatriots. " _It is time we rid ourselves of this awful place,_ " she said. " _Dragon Lord. Return the egg. Now._ "

Harry did as commanded, carefully approaching Delgasis, who took the egg with as open arms as a Dragon could give. "The egg has been returned," Harry said. "I trust I won't have to worry about you burning down the school this time?"

" _That is something I did in the alternate reality_?" Arkenthias couldn't help but smile at this. " _Oh, very well. I keep my promises after all. It looks like I have to leave now, Harry Potter. May we meet again."  
_

"May we meet again," bowed Harry, as he and Justin stood back and watched in awe as the dragons began to take off into the skies. Justin yawned, exhausted, but instantly refocused himself. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just a little tired," Justin said.

"Well, it's pretty late," Harry said, stretching his arms back. "But… the longer whatever it is that's in your body is in your body the longer things are going to go from bad to worse. We've got no time to waste."

"Let's go hunting," Justin couldn't help but comment, his self-confidence restored.

 **V.**

Back at Hogwarts, a Durmstrang student, Tomas Arshavin, pulled himself up from the bowl filled with a forbidden potion provided by his master that allowed himself to gaze through the eyes of Justin Finch-Fletchley, taking into full account the surroundings and the person who had just saved him. Wearing the mask to disoriented his face, he looked across the hallway at the three students who had not immediately chased after Justin. "You know who we are facing now," said the student. "The Man in the Suit. The Dragon Lord. The Brother of the Boy Who Lived. And now you know his weakness. What he will do to protect his weakness. What he will do when that _weakness_ is threatened."

"I understand," one of the students, a seventh year Ravenclaw by the name of Ethan Wick said, stepping forward. "What do you want me to do?"

"Take your brothers and sisters," Arshavin said. "Take three of your best into the woods. Whatever you do it is imperative that Harry Potter and Justin Finch-Fletchley do not return alive from the Forbidden Forest."

"It will be done my Lord," the Ravenclaw said, and departed, with three other suit-wearing students.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 _A few elements here again are borrowed from other series, The Dragon Lord is taken from BBC's Merlin whilst The White Lady idea is again taken from The Magicians. Both share similar connections with Harry Potter so it makes sense that different versions of both concepts would exist in the Harry Potter 'verse. Bonus points to anyone who guesses where I've taken the names for some of the OCs from._

 _Sorry for the delay in posting these latest two chapters by the way, I've been busy with deadlines for coursework and stuff like that so I don't know when I'll be able to get the next one up by as I reach the end of term. But I'll try to update when I can and will do my best to see this story through to the end – no matter how long this takes between the update._


	16. Let The Mystery Be

**Chapter Sixteen: Let The Mystery Be**

 **I.**

It was well past midnight when an exhausted Harry and Justin finally found something that vaguely resembled the White Lady. A woman that vaguely resembled some kind of centaur stood proud and tall in a clearing a few yards ahead of them, down by a small pond. "Okay, careful now," whispered Harry, approaching slowly. "We don't want to startle her."

"Too late," Justin realised suddenly. "It's a trap."

Instantly, they found themselves caught up, snapped up from the ground and leaving them suspended in the air by strong ropes that were tied together to make some kind of bag. "Oh no," Harry said, realising that he'd dropped both the wand and the time turner out of his pockets. "Not good."

"You have a time turner in your pocket?" Justin exclaimed, surprised.

"How else do you think I travelled back in time? I need to get it back to Dumbledore anyway," said Harry. "We can't let anyone get their hands on it."

"Can't let anyone get their hands on what?" a Ravenclaw student wearing a similar suit to Harry's approached from behind him and plucked the wand from his hand. "Ethan Wick. You may or may not have heard of me."

"Yeah, you're one of Roger Davis' mates," Harry said. "You know, that whole suit thing isn't exactly original."

"What, because you're running about in one as well gives you exclusive rights to it?" Ethan said, glancing across at Justin. "Oh, hello Justin. Fancy seeing you here. Don't worry, we'll have you dragged back soon to complete the process."

"No," said Justin. "I'm not going back!"

"You don't have much in the way of choice," Ethan said. "You see, boss said that you wanted us removed from the picture. But... he doesn't realise how much valuable allies you'd be to the cause."

"And what cause is that, exactly?"

Ethan laughed. "Oh, that's gold. I finally know something that The Man in the Suit doesn't know! So let me tell you, was it you who was pulling all the strings over all these years? I've always wanted to meet you. How'd you get away with it?"

"Let me out of this trap and I'll show you," said Harry. "How did you know we'd come here?"

"Simple," said Ethan. "It's the only source of water in the forest. Hundreds of creatures come here. But only few come in the dead of night. I figured, if you don't want to come with us, we could always leave you up, string you for bait, come back in the morning. And this Time Turner, interesting, I've never had one of these before. Oh, the things I could do with this machine if I knew how to use it."

"You don't know how to use it?" It was Harry's turn to laugh. "Oh, you really are stupid, aren't you Ethan?"

"What did you just call me?"

"Stupid," Harry said. "You see… you've just told me that this is the only watering hole in the forest. That creatures from all around the forest come here in the dead of night, if I've got this correctly?"

"That would be correct yes," Ethan said, starting to look around, somewhat nervously, but still maintained most of his confidence. "But more to the point, you just insulted me. And I don't like being insulted."

"Oh, Ethan, Ethan, Ethan," Harry said with a smile on his face. "You really don't know me at all, do you?"

"Well no, actually, we've never really had the chance to chat. I believe this is our longest conversation."

"Well, if you'd have known me a bit longer you'd happen to know that there are two species of creatures that happen to owe me a favour," explained Harry. "Actually, now it's three, but I don't think three's around right now, lucky for you. And if they found out that the person who owed them was in danger before they got a chance to repay their debts, they'd be angry wouldn't they? And if I say, sent out a distress call moments before getting lured into a trap which I was in fact, very well prepared for… Wouldn't you say that would give them enough time to find me?"

"What creatures," scowled Ethan. "What creatures, Potter?"

"Oh," Harry said, as the ground began to shake, causing Ethan's cocky stance to turn into fear. "Just the Centaurs and the Acromantula. I really hope you aren't afraid of Spiders, Ethan."

The narrow hill that they had just climbed over to get a view of the pond that was empty moments ago soon became filled with life as a swarm of spiders descended down on the students, the centaurs flanking them with all their strength. Immediately Ethan and his allies were swept off their feet and once Justin was able to unstrap his wand he cast it across at Harry's chains, and the brother of the Boy Who Lived fell to the floor, the spiders parting around him. He immediately grabbed the time-turner and his wand, and freed Justin, who in turn dropped to the floor. Firenze approached Harry seconds later, once the students had been scared off.

"As timely as ever, Firenze."

"It is thanks to you Mr. Potter that He Who Must Not Be Named no longer haunts our forest," said Firenze. "And it is thanks to you that it is Hagrid who still watches over us, and not a stricter overseer."

Harry dusted the forest floor and a couple of spiders off his shoulders. "Thanks, Firenze. You're the best."

Firenze nodded in gratitude. "No harm will come to the students that attacked you, because I sense there is something off about them and that they are not truly themselves. They will be dealt with and returned to the castle where they belong. But I trust you two are not out here for a moonlight stroll?"

"We seek the White Lady," said Justin.

"I never took you to be a greedy man, Mr. Potter."

"It's not for me," Harry said, but gestured to Justin. "It's for him. He's inflicted with something, a curse. The White Lady may be the only one who can get rid of it."

"Interesting," Firenze said. "The curse brings back memories of a presence I have not felt since…. But that is impossible. No. That cannot be. He cannot be _back_!"

Harry had in that second, never seen someone more afraid in his life. "Bind his eyes," Firenze instructed. "Bind his eyes now, make sure that he cannot see! I have told you too much. His eyes are not truly his own!"

"What do you mean?"

"Others can see through his eyes," instructed Firenze. "He is merely a guide. I can direct you to the location of the White Lady to cure him but then, understand this Mr. Potter, I can never help you again. I will not interfere with the castle whilst he lurks beneath it!"

"Firenze, what's wrong? Who is he? Why are you so afraid?"

"I dare not speak his name," Firenze said, and Harry had never seen the centaur, or any centaur, more afraid in his life. "I dare not. Not even here. He watches. He sees. He is seeing now. Bind him. Quickly!"

"Sorry, Justin," Harry said, and without thinking, reached down to the ropes and bound them across his eyes. Justin didn't put up a fight, only responding once the restraints were very firmly in place. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"One," Justin said, instantly.

"No, three. Why'd you go with one?"

"Well, it's normally what people do when they do this," Justin said. "Middle finger, no? Profanity?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Harry said. "Anyway. Do you think you'll be okay?"

"I should be," said Justin. "Provided I don't trip up over anything."

"Okay, good," Harry said. "We shouldn't have anymore company now that they won't know where we are once we leave here. Firenze. Do you know where the White Lady will be?"

"At the tallest tree," said Firenze. "She normally retreats there after her watering. It is a dangerous place."

"Thanks, Firenze," Harry said. "For everything."

"I wish you all the luck in the world when dealing with what is about to happen," said Firenze. "I wish I was brave enough to help you, but I dare not face someone as bold and as deadly as him, and I must put the issues of my kind first. To use a human analogy, all I can say is that he makes He Who Must Not Be Named look like a small child in comparison to the full-scale devastation that he can unleash upon this world. Be careful where you tread, and trust no-one. Farewell, Mr. Potter."

Harry bowed. "You too, Firenze."

And with that Firenze turned around and galloped off, leaving Harry and Justin alone. "Alright," said Harry, eventually, contemplating the warning that both the Arkenthias and Firenze had told him about. A creature that could terrify both proud and noble species as themselves and escape Dumbledore's attention for that long must have been a truly terrifying beast. "Let's go."

 **II.**

They found the White Lady with little difficulty the second time around, and eventually managed to surprise her, a feat which was made all the more difficult by Justin's virtual blindness. "My Lady," Harry said, imitating a bow, as was customary to all proud and noble magical creatures. "I come before you because I trust the legends are true. That you grant whatever your captors desire."

"Only once. And in the case, that both of you have played a part in capturing me," said The White Lady. "I will grant you a wish each. But only one each. And you cannot ask for multiple wishes, that has been tried on me before."

"Okay, thanks for clearing that up," said Harry, glancing across at Justin.

"Oh. In that case, I want to be free of this curse. I don't want to be affected by him. I don't want his touch on me and I don't want to be viewed as a mouthpiece again!" Justin delivered his outburst, attempting to mount an important pose.

"Very well, consider it done," The White Lady said, and within an instance, Justin felt a surge of power through his body as the darkness was removed. He took of his blindfold a second later, and held his hands up in front of his face.

"I feel free again," Justin said. "I can see. My actions. They're my own."

"Good," said The White Lady.

"Wait!" Justin said. "Seeing as I'm going to leave Hogwarts and my family is very poor, I don't have that much of a future. I'm not especially talented or wealthy. My mother died in the war and my father is disabled. It's been hard, these past few years, surviving. I don't know how I'm going to manage if I leave, and If I stay I'll have a big target on my back even if Dumbledore does his best to protect me. So… could I ask a favour? Could I have some money, just as a starting point? I don't know how I'm going to survive otherwise. Just enough to hire a private tutor. I'm not spoiled or anything, and I won't be greedy. Not a big private tutor or anything, just someone, you know…"

"I'm sorry," The White Lady said. "I only grant one wish. And as you have captured me once I will not grant a wish if you recapture me."

"Please," Justin was on the verge of breaking down. "I don't know if I will be able to survive. I won't be able to go into muggle education this late on and I don't…"

"Wait," Harry said, stepping up in front of Justin, causing The White Lady to turn in his direction. The Centaur-like creature, only with a more whiter skin and tall, crooked horns that reminded Harry of a Stag, turned his attention to him, and he felt her yellow eyes pierce his soul. "What if I wish for Justin to have the money? Will that work?"

"No," Justin said. "You need the wish to stop the monster!"

The White Lady arched its proud back, bringing its front legs forward. "I know what monster you are talking about and stopping him is something even beyond my powers. I dare not interfere with such a creature as he is more powerful than me and more powerful than anyone who has ever existed in this known universe. Save only one person, perhaps. But that one person is long since gone… and it was only by a fluke that the monster was defeated in the first place. And unfortunately, I too am gripped by its curse. I cannot speak its name and I cannot tell you where to start looking to find out who it is, even if you command me."

"Well…" Harry said after a pause. "So much for that. But I guess, I guess if that makes sense, then I wish for Justin to get the money he needs. My wish still stands."

"Very well," The White Lady said. "Unless there are any final objections."

"None from me," Justin said.

"Very well. When you return home, Mr. Fletchley, if you are as honest as you claim to be, you will find money in your trust fund that belongs to you and nobody else. Spend it wisely, or else there will be severe consequences for the misuse of a wish granted in good faith," said The White Lady. "That is a warning."

"Thank you," said Justin, his tears of relief becoming clearly visible. "Thank you, thank you, so much. I don't know how to repay you."

"Just get yourself to safety," said Harry, with a smile. "They're going to keep coming for you, aren't they?"

"And you as well," Justin said, as The White Lady retreated into the darkness. "Are you going to be ready for them?"

"When the time comes," Harry said. "I will be, yes. But for some reason I don't think they won't be bothering us for a while."

"Why's that?"

"Well, considering we just took out three of their best men," said Harry.

"How do you figure?"

"Well, if you're so important to them that they'd risk killing you in Hogwarts, they'd send their best people after you to make sure it was done rather than sending any pointless lackeys," said Harry. "So therefore, we just at the very least hospitalized them for the foreseeable future. I don't really know what else has been done to them."

"But there are still a few others. I saw nine from Hogwarts and three from Durmstrang. One from Beauxbatons, but that was only one of their meetings. They have different meetings every week."

"Huh," Harry said. "How do you get an invite to one of these meetings?"

"It's simple," said Justin. "You've got to befriend someone who's already a member."

"Oh," said Harry. "And then they'll invite you in?"

"Of course. They only invite those who can be trusted by now."

"I guess it was a mistake to trust you."

"I guess you're right," Justin said, and yawned, sitting down on the grass. "I don't know about you, but I could use a nap. It must be what, three o'clock in the morning? Yeah. There's no way I'm making it to Potions tomorrow."

"Snape'll be mad."

Justin laughed. "I've seen things far worse than Snape now. I don't think I'll be afraid of him again."

"Good point," said Harry. "When are you going to leave?"

"As soon as I can. Hogwarts allows resignations from students, I checked it up after what happened to Sally-Anne Perks last year," explained Justin, causing Harry to wince at the memory, and how she had been humiliated by the Weasley twins so badly that she had been forced to depart. The twins had earned themselves detentions for the rest of the year for that incident, but thanks to the warning of Dumbledore, they were never truly punished. "I should be able to leave by tomorrow evening. Just to be safe. You will stop them, won't you? Before things get any worse?"

"Of course," said Harry. "I'll do my best. I mean. According to three different sources we're up against the greatest evil to have ever existed, on top of dealing with the possible threat of Voldemort in the background and the fact that the Ministry of Magic also want my head because I'm a vigilante. Yeah. Sure, Harry Potter. Save the world. No pressure."

This time, it was Harry's turn to join in with Justin's laughter at the sheer absurdity of the situation that the two had found themselves in.

 **III.**

Justin managed to leave Hogwarts with little problems, the Time Turner had been shanded back to Dumbledore, and thankfully, Charlie Weasley left too without notifying James or Sirius about the fact that the Man in the Suit had something to do with the dragons escaping. It of course backfired badly on the tamers but due to a few strings pulled by the Ministry Charlie was able to keep his job, and in fact, he was promoted to a higher position in the organization once it was seen how calm he portrayed himself in alerting help and attempting to save the day. There were rumours that the dragons had help from someone inside the castle, but they were nothing more than rumours.

"You had something to do with the dragons, didn't you?" Lupin said, on the steps of the entrance to Hogwarts one afternoon towards Christmas night when the Yule Ball had already been announced. Already Harry was starting to get a few offers from the Ravenclaw students, a marked change from previous years, but for the most part he had to decline them all, telling them he was already going to the ball with somebody despite not actually having arranged a date with anyone yet. "I mean, the rest of Hogwarts may be stupid, but I know enough about you to know that something happened that night."

"Something did, yes," Harry said. "But more to the point, I've got to find a date. For the Yule Ball. A _date,_ Professor. I don't even know how to dance!"

"Well I thought your dating issues wouldn't be a problem," Lupin said, glancing over to the carriage that the Beauxbatons students had arrived in. "Fleur Delacour."

"Are champions even allowed to go to the ball together?" Harry asked, blushing ever so slightly. "Speaking of which. I played Quidditch yesterday for the first time. It actually went pretty well."

"Oh?"

"Well, we lost, but I didn't fall off my broom and actually scored a few goals. Converted a penalty, too," said Harry. "I mean. I don't know. I'm still trying to get the hang of the actual sport. Flying's good and all, but…"

"Something's missing?"

"Yeah," said Harry with a shrug. "Something's missing. Anyway. I've been meaning to talk to you. Supposedly there's this great evil inside Hogwarts. Nobody really knows what it is, and I've been trying to look into the cult that's been developing around it, but… I've found nothing. I've searched the entire castle. It's almost as that entire night didn't happen, and that they don't exist. But I know what happened. Justin knows. I saw. A Dragon, A Centaur and The White Lady both told me that it was real."

"Sounds like the start of a bad joke," said Lupin, rubbing his hands together. From where they stood it granted them a reasonably good view of the grounds which looked utterly majestic in the winter snow, but beauty came with a price, and that price in this instance, was temperature. "If you were any other person I wouldn't believe you. But you're Harry Potter. I trust you. Something's out there."

"What are they waiting for?" Harry wondered aloud. "What do they want? If their master's so powerful why hasn't he shown himself yet?"

"Maybe he's like Voldemort," mused Lupin. "He needs something to regain corporeal form. I did some research into old and mythical creatures that it could possibly be but nothing matches up with the stories. You'd think if something was in Hogwarts for that long…"

"Maybe it wasn't in Hogwarts for that long," Harry said. "Maybe it came with the other schools."

"The question is which one. And how," said Lupin. "I find it hard to believe that such a threat would be able to pass through the wards undetected."

"Maybe it was so powerful it could break the wards," Harry commented. "I don't know. With the Death Eaters, it's easy, you can take them out. With the Aurors, the same thing. But a faceless enemy? I have absolutely no idea where to start looking. And it's something that quite frankly, terrifies me."

"For now, it's best to let the mystery be," said Lupin. "Students haven't shown up yet with a similar affliction yet."

"I find it hard to believe that the cult wouldn't be looking to add to their number," said Harry. "Justin said an invite to friends of friends only. I wonder what could be happening right under our noses."

"What's happening right under our noses?" Harper came up from behind Harry and Lupin, wearing a woolly hat and some gloves. "Hi, Professor Lupin. Didn't know you were friends with my brother."

"I'm his careers advisor," explained Lupin. "Sixth years can have one if they so wish. Not everyone takes on board the offer, mind you… But Harry did."

"Huh," said Harper. "Interesting. So, what career you thinking of doing, Harry?"

"I was thinking of being a movie director," Harry said with a nod. "You know, the muggle pictures?"

"Oh, of course," said Harper, rolling her eyes. "The Great Harry Potter wants to be a muggle movie director. What did wizards ever do to you?"

"Lots of things, actually. How're Mum and Dad? I feel like I should ask."

This was inevitably a sore subject for Harper, and Harry clearly noticed the distinctive lack of sleep in her eyes. "There's been lots of shouting mostly. I don't know. I went back last weekend. I think that your expulsion hasn't turned out as well as they'd hoped it would. You weren't supposed to do well in the Tournament."

"Serves them right, I guess," Harry said. "I mean. I don't know. I don't want anything bad to happen to them. What's the press been saying?"

"Nothing much. Dad's done a good job at keeping this under-wraps," said Harper. "Have you got a date for the Yule Ball yet, by the way?"

"No," Harry decided to tell her the truth. "Why?"

"Sam has," Harper said, with a smile.

"Of course, he has. Who?"

"That Durmstrang student who he was falling in love with earlier," said Harper. "Apparently, her name's Melanie and she's a fairly big thing over there."

"Really? He actually asked her out?"

"Yeah," said Harper. "And I might be going as well. I need to find an older guy to ask though. Which is a bit unfair. Second years aren't allowed."

"There's a reason for that," scolded Harry. "You're a _second_ year."

"Yeah, but give it a few more days and I would be in third year," said Harper. "It's so frustrating. I might sneak in. I want to watch you fail."

"Well considering I don't have a date and I don't know how to dance," Harry said. "You might get your wish."

"Hmm… if only I knew someone who knew how to dance," said Harper, running over the options in her head. "Someone who could teach you how to dance."

"You do, don't you?" Harry said.

"Tonks, of course," Harper said. "She's still around, in case you haven't forgotten. Why don't you go and ask her? Not necessarily as a date, just as a dancing instructor."

"I didn't think she was the type."

"Oh, come on," said Harper. "It's standard wizarding etiquette. Everyone knows how to dance. I know how to dance. That's what you get for being the black sheep of the family, I guess."

"Yeah, and that wasn't exactly my fault."

"So, will you ask her? You don't have to ask her to the ball."

"I'll think about it," said Harry, scowling, as Harper took the opportunity to throw a snowball that she had been hiding at Harry. Feigning a look of surprise upon being struck, Harry returned with his own snowball, and it wasn't long before more and more people who were in the immediate vicinity began joining in in the fight.

As he found himself ducking behind cover half an hour later however, Harry couldn't help wondering if this wasn't all just the calm before the storm, and the worst was yet to come.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 _Well there you have Justin's arc resolved for now and another warning about this growing threat that we'll learn more about in the next few chapters or so. The White Lady is removed from the picture for now as well – (full credit goes to the excellent The Magicians series which I'd definitely recommend to Harry Potter fans, both the books and the film), and the Centaurs and the Spiders have fulfilled their obligation to Harry when he helped them in the previous years by clearing Hagrid's name in the Chamber of Secrets incident. Next Chapter will hopefully cover the events of the ball and you'll learn who Harry picked as a date then._


	17. Come a Little Bit Closer

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Seventeen: Come A Little Bit Closer**

 **I.**

"So, you wanted to tell me something."

"I was wondering if you knew how to dance," said Harry, approaching Tonks in the Room of Requirement. "I don't know how, and… I was told you might be the person to help me."

"Who told you that?"

"Oh," Harry said. "Harper. You've been working with her right?"

"Yeah. She's actually been useful in crossing off the suspects for the Man in the Suit," said Tonks. "We've eliminated most of the obvious ones and are slowly narrowing it down. I reckon after Christmas? We'll have enough evidence to bust the real one, especially if you pay attention to all the rumours."

"Okay," Harry said, trying not to sound agitated by this latest revelation. "I guess I'll let you know if I run into him."

"Hey," Tonks realised something. "You and him have never been spotted in the same place at the same time, right?"

"Well, going by that logic, Filch and him have never been spotted in the same place at the same time. The Man in the Suit for all we know could be Filch."

"But it's not," said Tonks, with a smile. "And yeah, it's probably stupid. But It's definitely not you, is it?"

"As far as I'm aware," Harry said. "No. It's not."

"Well, that's good then," Tonks said, smiling, and held out a hand. "Dancing lessons. I suppose this means you have someone in mind already to ask to the Ball."

"I don't, actually," said Harry. "I was thinking Fleur, but I don't know if Champions can ask other Champions out."

"I don't think they can," said Tonks. "Sorry. But there's bound to be other offers out there, right? And besides, last time I heard, she had already accepted an offer."

"I guess," Harry said, taking Tonks' hand. "I heard rumours she was starting to see Cedric Diggory. I guess our date wasn't technically a date. I wasn't hoping for much after all."

"Oh come on. I know enough about you to know when you have a crush," said Tonks. "You actually liked her, didn't you?"

"I guess things don't always pan out as intended," said Harry, with a shrug. "So. How does this dancing thing work anyway?"

"Well, you follow my lead, and-"

"Wait, wait," Harry realised something, glancing up in the air. "If I know my movies, we're missing something. And I do know my movies. And in theory, because this is the Room of Requirement…"

The room instantly changed to resemble a dance hall straight out of a 1980s American teen movie, a prom setting that wouldn't have looked out of place in a movie like _Back to the Future._ "What's this now?" Tonks couldn't help but ask, a confused look on her face.

"Dance hall," said Harry. "If we're doing this then we need to do this properly."

"Very well," Tonks said. "Should I assume that you've got some music in mind then?"

"Oh yes," Harry said, playing with the dial. "Ever heard of 10cc?"

"Can't say I have no."

"I'm Not in Love," Harry commented. "1975. The Original Soundtrack, great album."

Tonks rolled her eyes at Harry. "What is it with you and muggle music and movies?"

"Well, my parents weren't there for me as much as they should have been, so I looked for other stuff to raise me and found movies." Harry said, grinning. "So. Shall we do this?"

 **II.**

A few weeks later, Harry got the opportunity to finally have a conversation with Fleur on the week before the ball. By this point most of the students had already received, rejected or accepted offers from others and he was at this point running out of options. His dancing lessons with Tonks had too been progressing fairy well and rapidly, he was taking on board influence from classic movies as well as newer ones. There hadn't been any activity from either whatever was lurking in his mind, the mysterious cult or anything that called for The Man In The Suit to be involved. The second Quidditch game between Ravenclaw and Beauxbatons was hosted, unofficially, with Ravenclaw using a pot to draw from students from multiple members of the house whilst Beauxbatons had a wider selections of multiple members. A few minutes before the match started, Fleur found himself calling him away, "Have you found a date for the Yule Ball yet?"

"Not yet, no," Harry said.

"You should hurry, you know. It would reflect badly on a Champion if they didn't have a date," said Fleur. "I would offer, but…"

From where they were stood in the tunnel that led onto the pitch it was a clear view of the Hufflepuff section of the crowd, and although Diggory was not visible, he was clear. "Yeah," said Harry.

"We're still friends, though?" Fleur said, hopefully. "I would hate for this to put a divide between us."

"Yeah," said Harry, honestly. "Friends. I can do that. Besides, our date thingy wasn't exactly a proper date, was it?"

"No," said Fleur, smiling. "You're right. It wasn't. But it was fun. Have you been spending your time well?"

"Mostly, yeah," said Harry. "I might actually be getting a hang of this dancing thing." 

"Maybe you'll have to show me at the Ball," said Fleur with a smile. "I know a couple of Beauxbatons students who haven't been taken yet. Maybe I could introduce them to you?"

"I'm alright, thanks," said Harry. "Sorry. I don't know."

"Harry!" Roger Davis called him from the changing rooms. "We're just about to head out. Are you done talking?"

"Guess so," Harry said, nodding at Fleur. "I'll see you on the field."

And with that, Harry left, leaving Fleur alone and leaving him with lots of options as to who to take to the ball. He was tempted for a second just to bail on the event, abandon tradition and use the distraction to do some Christmas Night Vigilantism, but then that would only serve to bring up major red flags as to his identity if he wasn't present at the ball. He'd have to find someone quickly, but for now, all that mattered was the Quidditch match, which was still having no trouble drawing enough members of the crowd.

"And now we have Ravenclaw versus Beauxbatons," announced Dean Thomas to the crowd as the students flew onto the field. "Ravenclaw's second game of the tournament following their win over Hufflepuff, they're looking to win here which would give them a much needed boost in the competition as Gryffindor as it stands are currently running away with things at the moment. Anyway, here's the Ravenclaw team. We have Davis, Donahue, Holtzmann, Givens, Brown, Cavill AND… Potter!"

The Ravenclaws erupted into cheers at this despite the fact that Thomas had confused positions with Harry and his brother, whereas Harry was playing as a chaser it was his brother who played as a seeker. Seekers names were normally at least, whilst Thomas was here, read out last. "And now we have the Beauxbatons tea, I don't speak French, so apologies if any names are mispronounced. We have Kylian, Godard, Truffaut, Truffaut, oh, look, twins! – Sorry, Professor McGonagall - Demy _and_ Delacour! Now, without further ado, I will hand things over to Madam Hooch, and the game will begin!"

 **III.**

The Match was over in forty-five minutes and seven seconds, according to the clock that hung above the commentary box next to the scoreboard. The Ravenclaws had spotted the Snitch and quickly went after it, but the Beauxbatons beaters, Demy and one of the Truffaut Twins, teamed up to quickly dispatch of the Ravenclaw seeker Holtzmann, allowing Kylian to successfully sweep in and steal the snitch from under Holtzmann's nose. Harry himself left quickly after the match had finished, and in turn, was bumped into by Tonks on the way up the Castle.

"Hey, Harry," Tonks said, approaching him. "Nice game out there."

"We didn't win," Harry commented. "Could have done better."

"Yeah, but you were still pretty good," said Tonks. "If those beaters hadn't intervened, Holtzmann would have gotten the snitch."

"I guess," said Harry. "So, um. Tonks. I was wondering something."

"You were wondering if you wanted to go to the Yule Ball with me because you waited too long to ask anyone else out and now that there's nobody else left out you thought you'd go with me," said Tonks, before adding. "As a last resort."

"Well, apart from the last resort thing you got most of that right," said Harry. "I had considered you first actually. But I thought it would be inappropriate with you teaching me how to dance. And now that our lessons are over…"

"You know, you could have just asked sooner," Tonks said, with a smile, and Harry detected a hint of a blush. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. I'll go with you. They never had one of these things when I was at Hogwarts."

"Thanks," said Harry, hugging Tonks. "I mean I was planning on using a dance move that you taught me to surprise whoever I ended up going with, but now that you've taught me everything I know outside of the movies, there won't be many tricks left."

Tonks smiled. "Well, you could always make some up yourself."

"Or I could just watch _Footloose,_ " commented Harry.

"What's that about?"

"Kevin Bacon goes to a town where dancing is banned and teaches it how to dance," said Harry. "I haven't seen it in a while, but it's a classic."

"Huh," said Tonks. "Muggles made a film about dancing? I never thought it was particularly interesting."

"Muggles made films about _lots of things,_ " said Harry. "Actually, dancing is fairly normal."

"I've said this before, but muggles are weird," said Tonks.

"Just about as weird as wizards are to muggles," returned Harry.

"Touché," said Tonks. "Well, if that's the case, Mr. Potter. I'll see you at the Yule Ball. Looks like you've got a date."

 **IV.**

The Yule Ball came around the corner quicker than anticipated, and soon, Harry found himself applying the finishing touches to his suit, next to Roger Davis of all people, just at the edge of the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower. He had landed a date with someone else in his year, a Slytherin by the name of Raphina Potts, who was apparently waiting for him outside. "You know I think these inter-house rivalries are all bollocks anyway," Roger was saying, and Harry was doing his best to feign interest. "Who cares if a Slytherin dates a Ravenclaw?"

"You're speaking to the choir," said Harry, and seeing a confused look in response, Harry added, "It means you're trying to convince someone who already agrees with you. You want to speak to people who _don't agree_ with you."

"Huh," said Roger. "I guess that makes sense. So. Potter. You haven't told me who you're going with yet. Spill." 

"Tonks," said Harry.

"But isn't she two years older than you?"

"Only two years, it's not that much difference," said Harry. "It's not as if she was dating Professor Lupin for example. And I don't have many friends who are girls… I don't have many friends, period. So that makes things kind of complicated and leaves me with not a lot of options."

Roger scowled. "I thought you were going with Fleur Delacour, anyway? I didn't ask her out cause I thought you would be. I was going to."

"She's not interested in me," Harry told him, not sure if that was the truth or not. "She ended up going with Cedric Diggory."

"Ouch. That Veela scream hurt like a bitch by the way. My cheeks were bruised for weeks. Had to lie about getting involved in a fist fight with a muggle when I was behind bars."

"I heard about that one," said Harry. "Pretty good lie. I almost believed it."

"Well, what can I say?" Roger said. "I wouldn't be anywhere near as popular as I was if I didn't know how to lie as convincingly. The trick is telling people what they want to hear."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks," said Harry, finishing his suit. He turned and began to follow Roger down the stairs to the Castle, still wierded out by the fact that Roger was apparently talking to him, but let it slide as Tonks too, was waiting for him at the bottom, in a black and yellow dress, the same colours as her Hufflepuff uniform, making her standout in the Ravenclaw Common Room.

"Hey," Harry said. "You look-"

"Completely out of my comfort zone?" Tonks said, with a grin. "I managed to guess the riddle, by the way, in case nobody knows how I managed to get in. Yeah. This dress does not suit me at all, it feels weird."

"I'm still getting used to this Tux. It's like I'm an extra in a bad James Bond movie, I'm thinking maybe _Thunderball_ or _Diamonds Are Forever,_ especially with the glasses," Harry said, adjusting them slightly. "Anyway. Are you ready?"

"I guess," said Tonks. "One dance and then we can go and sit down, right?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "I hate this as much as you, but traditions…"

"Must be kept," finished Tonks. "I guess you're right. Let's go."

 **V.**

Frustrated at not being able to attend the Yule Ball, Harper Potter was currently sat near the windows of the Great Hall in the freezing cold, looking inside at the room as it was being transformed into an event for the evening with the final touches being put in place. Even her brother had managed to get a date but due to her age and overprotecting father, who always seemed to be around on duty looking for The Man in the Suit at the same time as someone had tried to approach her, she quickly found herself out of options. Even Luna Lovegood had ended up going with Neville Longbottom, but Harper was unfortunately on her own again. She was currently listening to music from a muggle Walkman that Harry had given her from the Room of Requirement as an early Christmas Present. It had been adapted slightly to work with magic rather than against it, and he had chosen for her a selection of songs for Harper to listen to, which included, _One Night Stand - Live at the Harlem Square Club_ by somebody called Sam Cooke. It was something that she found herself enjoying, so naturally, she listened to it whenever she could. The music was currently on _Bring It on Home to Me,_ and what made things more interesting for her was that it appeared to have been recorded live in concert, giving her an experience as though she was one with the crowd.

She knew she shouldn't be outside, especially as by 7, snow had covered the floor and it was still being added to, but thankfully she had come prepared with a winter jacket and warm gloves. As she had turned the volume up to full in her headphones, it took a shout from Sam to get her attention in the snow. "Harper! Hey, Harper!" Sam's raised voice finally broke her concentration from the headphones and she reluctantly pulled them off. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," said Harper. "Thanks. Shouldn't you be getting ready for the Ball?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay," Sam said. "I guess you really wanted to dance."

"I guess it's not that important," said Harper after a while, sighing. "I mean there'll be other chances, right? It's just. They never do these at Hogwarts."

"Well maybe if this Tournament all goes well," said Sam with a shrug. "There'll be another one in four years."

"But it won't be at Hogwarts," said Harper. "It'll be at Beauxbatons or Durmstrang."

" _And,_ " Sam said. "How many chances do you get to go to another freaking wizard school? Imagine getting to go to Durmstrang, nobody knows where that is. Maybe they might even invite Ilvermorny. And then you'd get to go to _America._ Come on. Think about that, Harper. Patience is the key word here."

"You're not helping, Sam," said Harper. "Dad's formal balls are boring, but this? Come on. This actually looks like it could be fun. The formal stuff is all sitting around watching Dad's mates dance. This is different."

"I get why you'd want to go," said Sam. "Sorry."

Attempting to change the subject, Harper she showed him the Walkman. "Did Harry get you one of these as well?"

"Yeah," said Sam. "It's amazing, I'd never thought I'd see muggle technology work in Hogwarts but he figured out a way. I don't know where he got them from but the music's pretty good. I mean, it's not Beastie Boys good, but…"

"What album did he give you?"

"The Raincoats," said Sam. "By the Raincoats. Want a listen?"

"Uh, sure," said Harper, taking the Walkman from Sam and putting the headphones around her head. After a few seconds, she said. "Wow. I don't know how to describe it, but it's the kind of music I want to smash stuff up to."

"Want to? There's an abandoned classroom nearby that's relatively soundproof," said Sam. "We can always repair the stuff afterwards with magic."

"Sure," said Harper, with a shrug, and followed Sam into the classroom. "Hey. Why are you doing this?"

"Because," said Sam. "It looks like you need an excuse to smash stuff up. Take out all that anger out on something. And it's not just the ball. It's everything. Harry's denouncement. Dad wanting to oversee everything in our lives. I'm fairly certain he's got it planned out who we want to marry."

"Oh god," Harper said. "Please don't tell me who it is."

"It's Snape," said Sam, his serious expression turning into laughter moments later. "I'm joking." 

Harper instantly picked up the nearest chair and threw it at Sam in response, who jumped out the way as it collided with another table just behind him. A moment of awkward silence between the two followed as both students looked around, still scared that someone had potentially heard them. And then came a voice, just around the corner, from the next room. "What was that?"

"I thought you said nobody could hear us?" Harper shot a look in Sam's direction.

"Okay, I lied," Sam said. "Well. I thought I was correct. But apparently not."

"Jesus, I know where we are," said Harper, taking on board an expression that she'd heard Harry use not knowing quite what it meant but assumed from the way that he'd used it, it must have been some kind of dirty word. "Sam, we're going to be in so much trouble! This room was abandoned because it was right next to the freaking _Kitchens_."

"Oops," Sam commented. "Wait. I thought House Elves were in the kitchens?"

"That's a good point," Harper said. "I should probably go and see who it is. You go up to your room. Last thing we want is you to get in trouble."

"Thanks," said Sam. "Shame Harry couldn't give us these gifts tomorrow, by the way. On the actual Christmas Day."

"Does he even know when Christmas is?"

"I don't know," said Harper. "But given that we're going to be spending time with Mum and Dad tomorrow he probably wanted to give us the stuff beforehand."

"Yeah, you're probably right," said Sam. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow I guess, Harper. Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas," Harper said with a smile back, as Sam headed out through the back exit of the classroom. Harper however hit in a nearby cupboard, closing the doors just as two people, one of whom who had spoken, entered the room.

"I was beginning to worry someone was listening," said one of them, a Durmstrang student, his accent thick and heavy. Harper was surprised to see that he was talking to a Hufflepuff who she was fairly sure was one of Diggory's friends. Why would a Hufflepuff and a Durmstrang student be talking together? It seemed more questions were coming by the second, especially given what she heard next. "But it looks like it was some stupid kids looking to cause trouble. Probably thought we were staff."

"Good thing too. I was worried that they'd improve security around the Kitchens after the last debacle," said the Hufflepuff. "But I guess enough time passed since then so it might just be a one-time thing. Anyway. We'd better get back to it. Those Goblets aren't going to poison themselves and we don't have long before the Elves clean up our diversion."

"Was such a diversion really necessary? It created a rather large mess in the Great Hall, and right before the big event as well. Could have raised too many eyebrows."

"Fred and George Weasley were more than willing to help," said the Hufflepuff. "When I told, them I was in the mood for creating mischief, they were all too eager to help. If only they knew the truth."

Harper had to clasp her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from gasping when she put the pieces together. She had read up on the Ball in _Hogwarts: A History_ and had deduced that they were looking to do something with the goblets at the start of the ball, but what? One thing was for certain, she needed to tell someone, and tell someone quickly. Thankfully for her the two students left and she took off at a sprint towards the Great Hall, where the reconstruction was clearly taking place. She assumed that Fred and George Weasley had acted quickly, almost too quickly, because it had been destroyed in the time that it had taken for her to get to the classroom in the first place for them to leave the Great Hall in such a mess that the vast majority of the House Elves were required to intervene to clean-up before the ensuing nights' festivities.

"Professor McGonagall! Professor McGonagall!" Harper addressed the first person who she saw, out of breath, running to a halt. "Please, you need to come to the Kitchens, it's an emergency."

"An emergency?" McGonagall's eyebrows raised at Harper, addressing the young girl, who still had her Walkman rested on her neck. "What sort of emergency? What were you doing in the Kitchens in the first place? The area is off limits to students at this time."

"I wasn't in the Kitchens, I was in the classroom next door…"

"What were you doing in the abandoned classroom next door, which also happens off-limits?"

"Iwasdestroyingstuff," Harper said, blurting out all at once, bit too quickly before she could stop herself. Seeing McGonagall's facial expression turn from intrigued to disapproval was terrifying enough on its own. "Oops. I mean. I was… revising."

"Destroying school property when a severe act of vandalism has already been occurred on the same day? Tell me, are you an accomplice to this event or have you merely decided just to vandalise school property because you could not attend the dance," said McGonagall.

"No, I didn't," protested Harper. "The Great Hall wasn't me, it was the Weasleys."

"I know," said McGonagall. "I have caught them and they will be punished accordingly. As for you however, Potter. Filch!"

Filch was standing behind McGonagall, waiting with Mrs. Norris in tow. "Yes, Professor?" he said.

"I need you to take Potter here to my classroom," said McGonagall. "As punishment for disturbing tonight's events, with or without intervention from Fred and George Weasley, she will be forced to write the following lines two hundred times on a piece of parchment that she will find waiting for her. _I will not vandalise school property, regardless of the circumstances._ Use of magic to aid you will not be tolerated, and I will know if you do not complete the document with the authenticity that I desire."

"But, Professor…"

"Enough. That is the end of the discussion and I will not tolerate any further disobedience. Twenty points from Gryffindor."

"But it's Christmas, Professor," protested Harper.

"The fact that it is Christmas did not stop you or the Weasleys from vandalising school property, did it not?" McGonagall said, before turning around and walking off back into the Great Hall. "Do not return to the Great Hall tonight, Potter. I would not wish for you to be an embarrassment on this eve of inter-school co-operation."

If Harper wasn't on the verge of tears before, she was now. She did her best to hold them back at the unfair treatment that she had received from her Head of House, but she supposed that it was after all her own fault. Or more accurately, it was her brother's fault. And she'd have to find of a way to get him back for this in the future, and hope that she could finish the words on the page and return with more concrete evidence that something bad was going to happen before it did.

 **VI.**

Harry made his way down the entrance to the Great Hall with Tonks in tow, having been informed about the recent disturbance meant that some areas of paint that had been applied to certain objects in the Great Hall hadn't yet dried. His brother and the Durmstrang student lead the Gryffindors in, and he noticed that most of his brother's year had been able to find a date. Ron Weasley had ended up going with Lavender Brown, whilst the most surprising factor of all was that Hermione Granger had ended up going with Viktor Krum, which caught the attention of everyone, particularly as the way Granger had dressed, she too had completely been transformed. Then again, most of the students here also looked completely different to their normal attire, Harry included. "Okay," Harry mumbled as they made their way up onto the stage with the rest of the Champions. "Here goes…"

"When the dance starts, just follow my lead," said Tonks.

"Attention please," Dumbledore addressed the crowd, silencing any gossipers. "The Yule Ball will begin momentarily and I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight. However, before we start, certain procedures must be taken. It is ceremonial that before the task must begin, the Champions must also take the first drink from the Goblets of Merlin, to bestow upon them good luck in future endeavours at the Tournament. You do not have to drink the whole glass, just a slip and all simultaneously. It is important that the Champions must complete this together, because otherwise, the ball cannot simply begin. The drinks will be presented to you by your various Headmasters, or in the case here where we have two Champions, your heads of houses will do the honours."

Harry glanced across at Tonks, wondering where this was going. Tonks merely shrugged as he accepted the goblet from the Flitwick, who had to raise it up to his hands for him to get it. Dumbledore glanced across at the respective champions, meeting eye contact with Harry, before announcing, "Now, raise your glasses. To the ever-lasting friendship between our houses."

"To friendship," the four champions echoed, and touching the glasses, simultaneously took one long sip of all the glasses at once. For a few seconds, everything seemed normal, as though there was nothing wrong with the glasses at all, and then, a few seconds after Krum had become the first person to finish the glass, consuming it all at once, and then the champions all vanished from view, distinctively and at the same time, clutching the goblets against their will as they were dragged into the abyss, leaving a shocked room of students and staff behind them.

 _ **To Be Continued…**_


	18. Stuck in the Middle With You

Looks like has a problem with email alerts, if you've been wondering by you've not been getting any new chapters recently it's because it looks like the emails haven't been coming through! I'm still here, by the way – still updating. Also, if you've seen the movie that the song that I've used for the title of this chapter is most known for appearing in you should get a heads up for where this chapter is going to go…

 **Have You Ever Seen The Rain?**

 **Chapter Eighteen: Stuck in the Middle With You**

 **I.**

"Right up here," Filch said to Harper. "Meddlesome brats. I don't even get any sleep on Christmas Eve. Who's looking after Mrs. Norris when I have to monitor troublemakers like yourself?"

Harper felt like commenting, but she knew that she'd only get into more trouble with Filch when he would inevitably report something to McGonagall. She should have realised that the Professor would have been increasingly more annoyed after Fred and George Weasley had already ran riot in the Great Hall, and this was one of the many incidents where she didn't entirely think before spouting out something that she shouldn't have. It had seen her get involved in multiple fights with her year mates in the past and she wasn't held in the best of light particularly with some of her dormmates which did admittedly make sleeping difficult, but at least they didn't bother her that much in the evening. After she'd heard all the stories about what had happened to Harry in his first year she was thankful at least that no matter how bad it got, she did not have to endure the same process that he had gone through. How he made it to his sixth year if even half of the stories that she'd been told were true was nothing short of a miracle, and it gave Harper courage that if he could make it through, so could she.

Thankfully, McGonagall hadn't confiscated her Walkman and it looked like Filch didn't know what it was so he also hadn't confiscated it, but that didn't stop him from trying. "It's worthless," insisted Harper. "Honestly, it's not even magic. I just put it around my ears and it keeps the sound out from around me so I don't get distracted from doing McGonagall's writing."

" _Professor_ McGonagall's writing," corrected Filch. "As it is Christmas I will allow you to have it. But any future troubles you find yourselves in… I will have to remove it personally, and rest assured, you will never see it again."

"Understood. Thanks," said Harper, heading towards the door of the classroom.

"I will be patrolling through to the seventh floor and back through to here. Come find me or Mrs. Norris when you have completed your task. If it is not completed I will inform Professor McGonagall," said Filch, not paying attention to Harper as she turned up the volume on her Walkman. As well as full albums from The Raincoats and Sam Cooke Harry had also given her a something called a mixtape, so she removed the Raincoats from the cassette tape and inserted it, something that oddly did not have a list of artists attached. She did this once Filch had departed of course so not to risk any further questions, taking note the words _For Harper_ on the tape.

"Okay, Harry, let's see what you've got for me," she said, and was introduced to the music of Jay & The Americans' _Come a Little Bit Closer_ seconds later as she began to write, and soon found herself coming to the realisation that the ball must have started by now, and she still hadn't worked out who her brother was asking to the ball, something that she would have to find out later. She also hoped that for his sake, Harry was having a more exciting time than she was.

 **II.**

It turned out Harry was having a more exciting time than Harper was, but not for the reasons that either of the Potter siblings had anticipated. Coughing up the drink that Harry had just swallowed, he came crashing down to the floor inside what looked to be some abandoned warehouse, for all intents and purposes alone, but with a blue circle drawn around him, Ravenclaw house colours. "Okay," Harry mumbled to nobody in particular. "Weird." The Warehouse itself had no windows and several pillars and storage boxes prevented him from working out how long the room was, as in many cases, they were stacked from floor to ceiling, three or four rows thick. From where he stood there were two clear paths out of the warehouse to the left or to the right, leaving him with little in the way of choice.

"Point Me," Harry whispered aloud, relieved to find the use of the wand. ' _Where am I? What happened? Where is everyone? Is this a task?'_ Several thoughts were going through his head. He hadn't been notified about this. He looked around, half expecting to see a Lava Monster, to call it by its non-Latin name, coming towards him, or a Merperson, down one of the pathways out of the warehouse. To make matters worse, whispers seemed to be filling his head, whispers that were most decidedly not his own.

' _It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap,'_ one was repeating over and over again, blurring together at a quickening pace so that it sounded less and less like three words and more like one. _'Traptraptraptraptrap…'_

Another followed seconds later. ' _Trust nobody. Nobody who you see in here is real, they are all your friends yet they are all your foes.'_

What surprised Harry the most was that he slowly seemed to be agreeing with all of these voices. Agreeing with voices in his head should have been the first bad sign but he had quickly dismissed it as quickly as he had dismissed the fact that there must have been something brewed in the goblets that he had taken, but given the fact that it had gone literally directly underneath Dumbledore's nose, the Headmaster would have surely identified something as simple as this. A loose box on the floor had a slightly unattached lid which he opened out of curiosity more than anything, and was immediately covered in smoke, causing him to cough violently. Once the smoke had cleared he got a closer look at what was behind the box, and on it, he saw three moving portraits of three distinctive people. Written in white letters behind the paper portraits on the bottom of the box were the words stamped in capitalised, clear font; _KILL THEM._ They remained that way for mere seconds before vanishing, replaced by _THEY ARE NOT REAL,_ which in turn was replaced by _THEY ARE THREATS,_ followed by _DO NOT USE UNFORGIVABLES,_ and then, added afterwards, _ONLY ONE MAKES IT OUT ALIVE._ Leaving Harry stunned was the final message in the box that was quite simple as to what it left behind. _THIRTY MINUTES._

And again, Harry found himself oddly agreeing with the message, accepting it as though it were law and there was nothing he could do to avert it from coming. The people on the paintings were clear and he recognised them almost instantaneously, for they too, like him, had drunken all of the goblets at once at the same time. Fleur Delacour. Viktor Krum. Samuel Potter. The Champions of Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Hogwarts. _'Not Hogwarts,_ ' another voice in his head whispered. _'Your brother is the imposter. He does not deserve this chance that you have, the rightful chance that you have to prove to yourself, prove to the world! You can prove your parents wrong, show them tonight who is the better Potter sibling.'_

A few flashing lights almost blinded Harry from where he stood in the room and he instantly got the message when the white text was suddenly revealed, left painted on multiple boxes around the room. ' _GO. NOW._ ' Instantly following the spell to the left he followed it through the maze of boxes and down one narrow path, coming across another starting area which was a dark black colour. Instantly identifying this as Durmstrang, he felt something move from behind him and turned up just in time to see Viktor Krum jump down from above him, knocking him across the floor, having carefully positioned himself on the boxes that made Harry's entrance into the room a tunnel. Blinded by rage, Krum said, in his thick accent, "You call this co-operation? Hogwarts is a school of liars, deceivers and falsehoods. I will smash your skull against this floor and I will take it downstairs and expose to my Headmaster how corrupt you people are."

He smashed Harry's face into the floor, using his brute strength that didn't rely on his wand, and it didn't take long for Harry to draw blood. Instantly however he recovered, having let his wand fall slightly from his pocket, and cast a _'Stupefy'_ back at Krum. ' _Yes, Yes….'_ the voice in his head was slowly becoming more and more twisted by the second. _'Kill him. Now. While you still can.'_

However Harry lingered, realising that he couldn't use the Killing Curse, or for that matter any Unforgivables, and decided instead to levitate Krum as high up as he could. But before Krum reached more than six foot off the ground, Harry was blasted back from behind by Fleur, who had caught him unawares and had unleashed her Veela scream on him, almost shattering his eardrums and leaving both him and Krum on the floor wretched and in agony. "You want to know why I didn't go to the ball with you?" Fleur bragged, bringing her wand to bear. "You are nothing more than a _little boy._ A naïve, foolish child who doesn't know what he is doing. Your parents were right to disown you. You pretend to know everything about the muggle world to give you something that helps make you feel superior above your betters. Well. I am, quite frankly, sick of it. _Bombarda_!"

Harry was blasted back across the room even further, back down the corridor by the curse, but Fleur too was caught by Krum seconds later and tackled to the floor. Screaming in discomfort Fleur shot a blast at Krum with her wand before it was knocked out of her hand, sending him crashing into a pile of boxes which sent them collapsing to the floor, exposing another part of the maze inside the warehouse where Sam was clearly visible. Instantly he fired a _Stupefy_ spell back at Fleur who had only just climbed to her feet, and without her wand to defend her was blasted back across the room into more boxes. "I've found you," Sam bragged, addressing Harry, the only person in the room who was still standing, but only barely. "And now I will make you pay for you dragging the family name through the dirt. I will pay for you humiliating my father by entering the Tournament. You act as though you do not care? I will show you. I will make you care. Stupefy!"

"Nice try," countered Harry, blocking the spell with a simple shield and dived out of the way of the falling boxes that came crashing down around him. Now Fleur was back on her feet as well and returned fire at Sam, sending him down on the floor, but in the chaos Krum had seized his chance to blast a series of vicious unfamiliar spells at Fleur, cutting her clothes and drawing blood. Wincing but dismissing them Fleur used her Veela scream again, blasting Krum and Sam back even further before she was tackled to the floor by Harry. As he struck her with a spell, he added, "Sorry, But I never liked you either."

"Good. Because I don't care," Fleur said, kicking him between his legs and throwing him into Krum, who had just climbed up from his feet only to be knocked down again. Sam clawed his way through the boxes, a devilish, uncharismatic laugh on his face.

" _Heree's Sammy,_ " Sam said, and Harry, despite being stuck underneath a homicidal Krum couldn't help but laugh at the way Sam had introduced himself, purely unintentional given that there was no way he could have known about it as Harry hadn't recommended the source material to him yet, but after shoving Krum off him which was harder than it looked given the man's weight, he climbed to his feet and began to formulate a plan.

"Okay…" Harry said, edging towards the nearest entrance which was back behind him, an idea formulating in his head, scanning the boxes. "Hey! You lot! Catch me if you can."

Nobody paid him any attention, too busy focused on exchanging blows on each other. " _Fine._ I'll even sweeten the deal," Harry said, throwing his wand aside to the floor, clattering down next to him. "That even the odds for you?"

This turned the heads. "Stupid Harry Potter," Fleur said, hurling a spell at the boxes above him to make them drop down on him. "You just abandoned your only weapon."

"Yes, I did," Harry said. "But you're still going to have to catch me first. And besides. If you can't use Unforgivables… What's the point in using wands? Let's make it a bit more interesting."

A loud dong echoed throughout the room, followed by a booming, disorientated sound not unlike one that Harry used to make his voice unrecognisable. _"Ten Minutes Remaining,_ " the voice proclaimed, issuing a statement that caused Harry to only increase his pace. Time was of the essence here.

 **III.**

Her words were barely legible, but Harper had just about finished her words that she had written to the tune of Silver's _Wham Bang Shang-A-Lang,_ and almost seconds after the quill had left the parchment she was up from her feet, rushing out of the corridor. Using a spell that technically wasn't learned until later years but she had heard from her brother, she said, "Point Me, Argus Filch," and instantly followed the direction of the wand towards its intended target, which she found on the seventh floor, with Mrs. Norris. Handing the letters over, she said, "Here you go. Can I go now?"

"As long as I don't see you _anywhere_ near the Great Hall for tonight," Filch said with a scowl. "Come on Mrs. Norris. We can go home now. Time for bed. Yes. Father Christmas will pay a visit for you tomorrow, my sweet…"

Harper couldn't help but muse just how creepy Filch was and wondered if that was a deliberate choice by Dumbledore to scare the students into staying in bed at night or whether his appointment had purely come by circumstance. It was hard not to feel a little bit of sympathy for the only person who couldn't use magic in a school full of magic users, but Filch didn't exactly make it easy on himself. Harper was tempted to ask him when he stopped caring about being liked by anyone, but thought that was a bit too harsh, even for her. She made her way back where she had come from on the seventh floor, wondering how Harry was getting on. And then, as if on cue, a door materialised from nowhere, as if to say ' _look in here,_ ' and in a spur of the moment decision, Harper hit play on her Walkman to the tune of something called Mr. Blue Sky, and entered to a bloodbath.

To Harper's horror, chaos reigned everywhere. The resulting room was a mess, and where the building had gained four champions from, she didn't know, and more to the point, she was beginning to wonder why they were all fighting each other. "Okay, either you've been poisoned and or cursed in the past half an hour," Harper said, "Or Hogwarts' understanding of the term dancing is completely different from my parents."

"Harper! What are you doing here?" Harry asked, approaching her. "You're not on the portraits."

"What portraits?"

"Oh, the portraits that we have to kill all the people on," said Harry, as though it was a trivial matter. "It's actually quite fun."

"You are aware you've been cursed, right?" Harper replied, glancing at Harry with a raised eyebrow in disbelief. "Did you take anything to drink in the last hour or so, like a potion or something?"

"No, but… I did drink some wine," said Harry. "It was rather good."

"And did anything happen after you drunk that wine?"

"I woke up here," said Harry, holding his arms out and gesturing to the warehouse around him. "Isn't it great? It's just a place designed specifically to kill everyone."

"You're completely hopeless," said Harper, facepalming as Harry returned a spell cast in his direction. "How can you not see that you're not poisoned?"

"Because I think if I was poisoned, wouldn't I know about it?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow. "I have had lessons in poisons of course. But seriously. More to the point, _why are you here_? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"You know what, I'm tired of this," Harper said, and waited until Harry was distracted in the duel with the person whose face was currently obscured to her vision and cast the Petrificus Totalus at him, causing him to sieze up in a full body-bind. Instantly the person who he was locked in a duel with climbed over some collapsed boxes to approach Harper, where she was shocked to find out that it was her brother, Sam. "Sam? You too?"

"Oh hey Harper, you know that knocking him unconscious isn't going to do the trick, right? You've got to kill them," said Sam, nonchalantly, as though nothing mattered at all. "Like this. Wingardium Leviosa."

Sam began to levitate Harry off the floor, hoping to raise him to a significant point so he could drop him and it would smash him into pieces, but Harper was swift to react, firing the Petrificus Totalus at her brother and knocking him out, freezing himself to a standstill. "Okay," Harper said. "You two can stay here for now. If there's two of you then the others can't be far. And if you're both insane, the others have got to be as well."

She was rewarded with a duel happening just around the corner from where she was currently. Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum were locked in single combat, exchanging blows, just out of view of her unconscious brothers. Fleur spotted her first and turned, only to be struck by a Petrificus Totalus by Krum, which too froze up her body. "I win!" declared Krum, in his thick accent, noticing Harper. "I have won the battle! Durmstrang is victorious!"

"Um, not yet it's not," Harper said, and whilst Krum was still celebrating that he had knocked Fleur unconscious, Harper returned fire with the same spell, and soon she was left with four unconscious Hogwarts Champions on the floor. Krum himself was incredibly heavy as she dragged him first, and by the time Fleur was brought up next to her brothers she was almost out of breath. She returned to the door in an attempt to go and get some help only to find out that to her horror, it was no longer there, and the boxes around the room had vanished from view completely, leaving a cold, vast empty place that was starting to get seemingly smaller by the second. It didn't take Harper long to realise that the room was rapidly shrinking, and with no door in sight, she wouldn't be able to escape. Despite her intent to wish for a door none came, and as the room's walls were getting closer and closer, she began to panic. What would being squashed to death by a room feel like? She had no way of knowing for sure, having no personal experience in the matter. Ideally it was something that Harper wanted to keep intact, and whilst she could potentially run the risk of waking up one of the poisoned Champions to help her, she also might run the risk of them turning on her, especially if they were still cursed. No. She was going to have to come up with this by herself – a new, unconventional idea, which suddenly occurred to her out of nowhere. "Dobby!"

Dobby was the House Elf who her brother had freed from Lucius Malfoy at the end of second year, and had been adopted into the Potter household voluntarily as a "Free Elf" by his brother. The Potters didn't use House Elves that much but Lily had actively taken to paying Dobby in socks and various items of clothing, something that was just dismissed of one of the various oddities that had come with the Potter family. Dobby wasn't obliged by law to help the Potter family, he just helped them out of friendship, and was willing to help Harper in her moment of need. "Miss Potter, what do you require?" Dobby couldn't help but ask as he entered the room.

"Can you get us out of here? Someplace safe?"

"Dobby can do just that, Miss Potter," said Dobby, and managed to take the unconscious Krum and Fleur first, before returning back for her brothers. And finally, Harper was the last one who left the room, and moments later, Harper came crashing down inside the Kitchens, surrounded by multiple House Elves. "Dobby wonders what happened to the masters, they should be fancy dancing together. Dobby wondered why they weren't fancy dancing, and Dobby knew there was trouble! Bad Dobby! He should have stayed behind in the Kitchens!"

"Dobby, don't hurt yourself," Harper intervened just before he was about to bash his head on the nearest table. "You did good, okay? You saved our lives. Now. They've been poisoned. I don't suppose you could find a cure?"

"Oh My! Poison!" Dobby sounded alarmed at this. "Dobby knows the antidotes for most poisons. Dobby is smart, Dobby pays attention to former Masters, former _bad_ Masters plots. Dobby knows how to come up with a cure. What poisons have they been affected with?"

"They wanted to kill each other and didn't seem the least bit worried about doing so," Harper said. "It was almost creepy."

"Oh no. Dobby knows what to do. Potion is only temporary, Miss, Potion only last half an hour," said Dobby. "Bad Potion."

"So that's why they wouldn't want to let them get out of the room," said Harper aloud, to nobody in particular. "Half an hour. So, it should be okay to wake them up now?"

"It should, yes. Dobby has determined that they are cured. But they may be a bit…" He waved his hands, making a gesture with them.

"Mind-blown?"

Dobby nodded. "Do you wish for me to alert the Professor Dumbly-door?"

"Not yet," said Harper, still fearing punishment for intervening from McGonagall. "Wait."

"Dobby shall wait," he said. "In the meantime, would you like some tea?"

"Not right now, thanks Dobby," said Harper, before pointing her wand at Harry. "Okay. Now. Enervate."

Harry came coughing and wheezing back into life, hauling himself to his feet instantly. "What the hell just happened? Where am I?"

"Harry, calm down, it's me," said Harper. "You're in the Kitchens, something went wrong. Somebody poisoned you and the other Champions and somehow got you to the Room of Requirement without anybody noticing."

"How? We were in the Great Hall with leading members of the Ministry of Magic as well as multiple Headmasters and pretty much every member of Hogwarts Staff," said Harry, before running his hair through his head with a dawning moment of realization. "Oh. _Oh._ Oh. Oh. Oh, that is _very good._ I mean, very bad. But very good. Whoever did this I almost want to hug them. I mean. How often do you get to fight someone who has the balls to Portkey you away right in front of Dumbledore's nose? It must have been a timed Portkey as well, to only go off when the Champions touch it so Dumbledore wouldn't have been taken. And the drink, too… the poison must have been in the glass!"

"So now that we've established how they managed to get in," said Harper. "Have we managed to establish who they are? I mean, I saw someone from Durmstrang and someone from Hufflepuff working together earlier…"

"The Cult," said Harry with a dawning mystery. "When me and Justin captured The White Lady she said something about a greater evil than Voldemort lurking inside the Castle. It must be part of the Cult."

"Wait, you and Justin, why were you?"

"I was trying to help Justin escape from the Castle, the Cult's the reason he left," said Harry. "They brainwashed him."

"Brainwashed? How? With Dumbledore watching?"

"It must be the Triwizard Tournament," realised Harry. "It's a distraction. Dumbledore's too busy trying to get along with the other Headmasters and prevent Hogwarts looking bad, and as a result the Cult's been allowed to grow right under his nose. Plus the running of the school and worrying about Voldemort, that's enough things to keep any person distracted never mind someone as old as him. Plus, the Cult are smart. I don't even know who they are. Well, I know some of them. But I don't know who they answer to."

"Why are you looking into the Cult? How do you know so much about it?"

"From Justin," said Harry. "Like I said Besides, we have bigger problems. I mean, I can talk to you later. But right now, the very existence of inter-school co-operation is hanging by a thread. We've been gone for half an hour. Due to official laws, nobody can get out of the Great Hall until the end of the evening… so I wouldn't be surprised if people do what people do by now, and started to cast the blame on others."

"Jesus Christ," Harper said, again echoing one of the words she had learned from Harry. "It must be getting pretty ugly."

"Which is why," Harry said. "We need to come up with a plan. Wake the others up. Let's see how much they remember."

As it turned out, Krum, Sam and Fleur remembered _everything,_ and spent the next five minutes constantly trying to apologise to each other for the insults and spells hurled in their direction, as well as the cut clothing and wounds. Eventually Harper shouted at them to shut up, because they'd already wasted too much time, "Hey! Listen. Harry. Sam. I have an idea you guys. It's pretty weird, but it might just work. Hey. I don't suppose the muggles made any good Christmas songs?"

"What? Of course," Harry said, coming to a sudden realization of his own. "Oh, Harper, that is brilliant. Absolutely _brilliant._ This night isn't going to be a complete and total disaster."

"And what about the attackers," Krum addressed Harry. "Whoever attacked us, I demand answers."

"And you'll get them," said Harry. "Just… not right now. Listen. It'd be foolish to raise alarm. If we raise alarm, if even a word of what we've been subjected to, it'd be chaos. Relations between the schools would shatter. Hogwarts would be accused of taking part in a, well, you've know what we've just been through. The papers'll bring up the story and there'll be an outrage. Do you want to be on tomorrow's front page news?"

"Not exactly," admitted Krum. "Although I am normally used to being on the back pages. It would make a nice change."

"Oh yeah, sports," said Harry, rolling his eyes. "But for the sake of inter-school unity, we need to salvage this. I mean, if you want… I have an idea of who might be behind this, but again, like I said, it's best that nobody knows."

"And how exactly do you propose we… as you put it, salvage this?" Fleur asked, after she had finished removing the blood with a healing spell.

"Well it's quite simple," said Harry, a smile on his face. "I don't suppose there's a spell that makes you know the words of a song? I mean, for chorus purposes?"

"Yes," Fleur said. "I used to cheat and used it when I had to go to singing practices for the choir at the muggle school when I was children. Our teacher, Miss Devaroux, would praise us every time for being in tune and not realise that we were using magic. I can teach you… provided you have the song?"

"Of course," said Harry. "Do you have the mixtape, Harper?"

"Sure," said Harper. "But I can't skip the songs."

"Don't worry," said Harry. "It should be one after Mr. Blue Sky."

"Okay, well in that case. You think they'll buy it? You have been gone for a while."

"Well, what can I say?" Harry said. "If it doesn't work, we're all screwed. Oh, and Fleur, you went to a muggle school?"

"It was part of my tutoring. I had to go to a Muggle school before I went to a magical one before I could grasp both cultures," said Fleur.

"Damn," Harry said. "Magical education here really sucks. You're practically home-taught until you're eleven."

 **IV.**

The door to the entrance hall of the Great Hall slid open, revealing the four Champions. A few people had been sitting down and crying, mostly the younger students who were traumatised by the fact that their big night was apparently ruined, and the staff had retreated to the head of where their tables normally were to discuss something in private. In unison, everyone's heads were turned when Harry had managed to hook up a radio to speakers that he had found in the Room of Requirement after a quick return visit to reset the room to its natural state, and after they had been modified, he now led the procession. The Four Champions sang in unison, somewhat awkwardly and out of tune to the music of Bobby Helms' _Jingle Bell Rock,_ where they were greeted with mostly stunned silence, and it was only after they had completed the song that Harry was able to explain their choice. "Sorry about the delay, the preparations took a bit longer than anticipated. Had to get some last-minute rehearsals in, and that was kind of an oldie, but luckily, everyone was willing to help get along. We would have surprised you earlier, but…"

"We ran into some slight complications," finished Fleur. "But, ahem. Just something that we thought we'd do for inter-school co-operation."

"And you couldn't have warned us in advance?" It was Dumbledore who spoke first, kindly, and with a smile. "I must say… I have seen many things in my lifetime. But this might be the biggest surprise I have witnessed in decades. Tell me, who came up with the idea?"

"We wanted to make it a surprise, Professor. And as to who came up with the song? That was my sister, Professor," said Sam. "I don't know who came up with the song."

"Bobby Helms," said Harry.

"Interesting," Dumbledore added. "Fifty points to Gryffindor for the ingenious idea presented from your sister, Samuel. And… this Bobby Helms, he is not a student, I presume?"

"No, he was home-schooled," lied Harry, not wishing to provoke an outrage about the song being used created by muggles given how many devout purebloods were present, including two former Death Eaters – Igor Karkaroff and Severus Snape.

"Ah, well in that case," Dumbledore smiled. "Bravo, Mr. Helms indeed, for creating such a tune. And now that that misfortunate incident has been cleared off… the Ball can finally get underway, with the first traditional dance. If you could take your partners by the hand…"

Harry made his way over to Tonks, who keeping her voice low and at a whisper, said, "That wasn't just a dance rehearsal was it?"

"I can't say," Harry commented. "Sorry. You need to trust me on this one."

"Well, I guess." said Tonks. "But… at least you're okay. So. Shall we dance?"

"Well, I'd hate to have learnt all that dancing only to miss out. Thank you for waiting," said Harry.

"It wasn't as if I could go anywhere," said Tonks. "Doors were sealed, remember?"

"Oh yeah," said Harry. "Now… what do we do again?"

Tonks sighed. "Just… follow my lead and try to keep up."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

So, that was fun to write. Obviously, Harry/Fleur/Sam/Krum were all poisoned so they didn't mean the things that they said, but there's still going to be repercussions in the friendship/lack thereof between the four going forward. The next chapter will focus more on the Yule Ball, and will be posted whenever I finish writing it. As always, thoughts and feedback welcomed!


	19. Cry to Me

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

Because everyone loves reading a Christmas-themed chapter in May! There's no better time of the year to put one out.

 **Chapter Nineteen: Cry to Me**

I.

It did not take Harry long to get into the sway of things with the dancing, but upon the mutual agreement of Tonks, who had already tripped over her dress twice on the dancefloor, decided that it would be best to retire to the nearby chairs where food was provided and watch the others dance and make fools of themselves. It wasn't long however before Viktor Krum found his way over to Harry and said, "The incident. I hope we're not supposed to forget it."

"We're not," said Fleur, stealing a strawberry from the food plate near Harry and dipping it in some chocolate. "I must admit, the whole experience was rather… nauseating. I would rather not repeat it."

"Then we have to find out who poisoned the glasses," said Harry. "My money's on Colonel Mustard in the Billiard Room with the Candlestick."

"Hogwarts has a billiard room?" Fleur raised her eyebrows at this.

"It's a joke," commented Harry. "Never mind. From my previous encounters with these people, they don't usually operate under their own free will. They're controlled, like we were, manipulated usually. I helped someone break free of whatever was affecting him, but he didn't remember much about anything. Apparently they were wearing hoods."

"Death Eaters?"

"Death Eaters wouldn't recruit muggleborn Hufflepuffs," said Harry, referring to Justin. "This is something else. At least three magical creatures I've met have referred it to a greater evil than Voldemort. All of them are afraid."

"Well in that case, shouldn't we tell the Professors?"

"Justin gave me a warning," said Harry, "Before he left. He said. One of the Professors has been infected by the Cult. He doesn't know who, and likely, if we tell one, they'll all know at the staff meeting. And if you tell your headmasters, they'll bring it up with Dumbledore. This is something that we have to do on our own, nobody else knows about this, even if you can be a hundred per cent sure that you can trust them."

"But surely we would be better off finding the cult if we had more people working with us?" Krum asked. " _Siguranța în cifre_ , no?"

"We have no way of identifying who's possessed," said Harry, almost forgetting for a second that Krum was Romanian, the way he had developed the English language over the last few months had really improved his understanding. He needed to thank Hermione Granger for that, because it made conversing with the rival Champion easier. "Unless they do something out of character, but by then, it's usually too late. We need to keep this group small. Between the champions ideally."

"I feel uncomfortable keeping secrets," Fleur said. "But if you believe it is for the better, than I shall agree. But what if someone starts talking about attending this cult? Should we warn them otherwise?"

"That would be a case to alert them of its dangers," said Harry. "But I stress caution. They could already be converted and be trying to find out if you know anything or not about them. I just… wish I knew more so I knew what we were truly up against." 

"I am assuming you cannot find its whereabouts in Hogwarts," said Krum. "And you mentioned that Durmstrang students have been converted before. I will investigate when I can. Discreetly, and I shall not let my presence be revealed."

"That's a good idea," said Fleur. "If we start looking into our own schools we can determine where the source of this cult originated from Hogwarts, Durmstrang or Beauxbatons. And then that should give us a closer idea as to what to expect from its leader, potentially even work out who it is."

"Somehow, I don't think the Great Evil that everyone fears is a student," said Harry. "They were already possessed when they came here. And seeing as there have been no incidents of this brand of possession before this year… logic concludes that it either must be a first-year student at Hogwarts, which is highly unlikely given their lack of exposures into the magical world, even amongst purebloods… or someone from one of your schools."

"My friend Niklaus Rosicky has been acting suspicious lately," observed Klaus. "I thought he was ill. I could investigate further into his actions. There is also Andrei Constantin, although I must admit I do not know that much about him. My Headmaster was complaining about the two disrespecting the honour of the school."

"And Francois Giroud," added Fleur. "She has been… increasingly uncooperative since she joined Hogwarts. "It could be her."

"So you know where to start looking," said Harry. "Do you two know how to use the polyjuice potion? It could work if you can get a hair of one of their friend's. Maybe try going down that route and then there's less risk of revealing that you're looking for them."

"That could work," said Fleur. "I know Polyjuice. I will do my best to ask Giroud. Do you think I'd be a good spy?"

"Well that depends," said Harry, smiling. "Do you like your martinis shaken or stirred?"

"Stirred," said Fleur. "Although I fail to see the significance."

"Oh come on," Harry said. "James Bond?"

"Is this some kind of muggle thing?"

" _Some kind of muggle thing,_ " said Harry, rolling his eyes. "Philistines. But whatever. It doesn't matter. James Bond is James Bond. But yeah. I think our dance partners are looking rather lonely."

"Good," commented Fleur, observing Diggory talking to Hermione. "Diggory is a competent dancer, but he is… too boring. He rarely says anything that makes me think he has a personality."

"Well, keep talking - maybe something'll come up," Harry said, heading over to Tonks, who was talking to Lupin in the corner of the room. Having seen the dance as a chance to talk to Harry Lupin had volunteered to act as the security for the evening, and given that Snape had made his reputation as a werewolf known to the public following his resignation last year, it was proving to be effective in dealing with any potential rulebreakers. "Hey. How are you two doing?"

"I really hate these clothes," said Tonks. "I blame you for inviting me. Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

"Hey, you wanted to come," said Harry. "How are things, Professor?"

"I'm getting by," Lupin said, having long stopped pestering Harry that his name was Lupin and not Professor. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it for the first task. I had… other matters to attend to."

"Ah," said Harry. "You didn't miss much."

"You didn't miss _much_?" Tonks said. "Harry single-handedly embarrassed the competition. I don't know how you didn't sleep walk that event."

"Well, most of the stuff happened outside of the view of the actual event so I think that's over exaggerating things a bit," said Harry.

"Oh come on," said Tonks. "You won't even accept the slightest amount of praise? Stealing Krum's firebolt had to take some nerve. Was he mad that you stole it?"

"I didn't steal it, I borrowed it," said Harry. "There's a difference."

"What was it like holding a firebolt, by the way? I never got to ask before."

"It wasn't too special," Harry said. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Nothing too special? _Nothing too special_?" Tonks gave Harry a look of mock outrage. "You just held. The. Greatest. Broomstick. Ever. Made… And all you can say is that it wasn't anything special?"

"Children," said Lupin, choosing this moment to step in. "Before this discussion turns into violence I must remind you that this is a ball, and proper etiquette is in order. And anyway, Tonks… I was wondering if I could have a word with Harry?"

"What about?" Tonks asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Career opportunities," said Lupin. "Something's come up in the muggle world that may interest you."

"Muggle world? Boring," Tonks said, making a face, although Harry could tell that it wasn't anything too serious. "I'll go find some people with more interesting stuff to talk about. People who actually care about Krum's Firebolt."

Harry laughed, and Tonks returned the chuckle to confirm Harry's suspicion that it wasn't too serious before leaving the immediate vicinity. "So. What have you got for me?"

"I did some digging in the Ministry archives upon your last request," said Lupin, having been secretly conversing with Harry through letters sent from the muggle village near Hogsmeade through muggle post rather than the school itself, "And I found nothing referencing a greater evil than Voldemort ever occurring in the past before. Apart from Grindelwald, who doesn't look like he will be returning anytime soon, this thread really does look like it is something that is at the same time, brand new to us, yet old enough to terrify a Dragon, A White Lady and a Centaur…"

"Sounds like the start of a bad joke," said Harry. "A Dragon, A White Lady and a Centaur walk into a bar…" 

"And they're all scared of something so evil they dare not speak its name," said Lupin. "What about the Ghosts in the Castle? They would know something, wouldn't they?"

"I can try the ghosts, but they are uncooperative at the best of times, and I would rather not owe a favour to the Bloody Baron," said Harry. "He and the ghost of Ravenclaw's daughter are the only ones old enough likely to know something and they won't give up the information easily."

"Why not Ravenclaw's daughter?"

"I ran into her last year," explained Harry. "I tried to find out information about the lost diadem out of curiosity more than anything. She screamed and ran off when I mentioned it, and won't talk to me again. Seemed to mistake me for another student. And it's not just her that I've been having bad luck around either."

"You're saying something's wrong with the Ghosts?"

"Well, I'm just saying that I haven't seen Peeves anywhere near me lately," said Harry. "Normally that'd be a good thing but before this year he'd jump at the chance to humiliate me whenever he could. It's as if I've done something that scares them."

"Even Binns?"

"I just leave a few stack of books vaguely resembled like a person in my chair and stick a family portrait on it at the beginning of the class," said Harry, shrugging. "I haven't been in the last two years and I don't think he's noticed. So I don't know."

"I wish I'd thought of that when I was a student here," said Lupin. "His classes made me lose interest in History altogether."

"When you can put even Hermione Granger to sleep you know you're a boring teacher," mused Harry. "And he doesn't even bother to change his exam questions from the previous year. My schedules for this year are exactly the same as last sixth years, I can just revise for the subject that I need and cover nothing else. Besides, not that it matters, I don't have to go to classes as a champion this year."

"So the ghosts are out of the question," said Lupin. "Dumbledore?" 

"Wouldn't want to distract him", mused Harry. "He knows that I'm The Man in the Suit, by the way. But he seems to have his hands full at the moment investigating Voldemort on top of the tournament."

"We mustn't forget about Voldemort," commented Lupin. "He's still out there. If only we'd known about this great evil when I was in Nuremburg. I could have asked Grindelwald about it."

"He wouldn't have given you a straight answer," said Harry, his eyes lingering briefly over the entrance to the doorway. "So until Krum and Fleur find out the school that bought over a the cult… we might be in for a wait."

"Unless you know any of your friends who have contacts with people in the Cult that can get invited?"

"No," said Harry, sighing. "I hate this. Just waiting. Sitting back and doing absolutely nothing, knowing absolutely nothing. And to make things worse I can't interrogate the people in the hospital as The Man in the Suit because of the wards there. It's hopeless. Unless you've got any suggestions?"

"Well, you could just sit back and enjoy the party," said Lupin, nodding in the direction at Tonks who was talking to Hermione in the corner. Both of them saw Harry and Lupin looking at them and Tonks waved cheerfully back.

 **II.**

Harry awakened on Christmas Day the following morning to find a small amount of presents under the tree in Ravenclaw Tower. Harper and Sam had combined their gifts to give him a broomstick as he had been using a school one, and although it wasn't a Firebolt, it was still fairly impressive in the form of a Nimbus 2004, the latest model. Roger Davis was joining him in Ravenclaw tower, still in his pyjamas, but he had slept in late and by this point the common room was largely empty with people going down to breakfast, and he couldn't help but point at the gift that Harry was currently unwrapping and say, "Who's that from?"

"I don't know," Harry said, removing the wrapping completely. "It hasn't got a letter attached."

"Weird," said Roger. "What is it?"

"It's a book," commented Harry, holding it in his hands. " _The Many Myths and Legends of Muggle History (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Muggles_ ) by Roland Dufrense. Interesting. I've never heard of this one before, and the title's a play on word of a film, so Dufrense clearly knows his stuff."

"What film?"

"Dr. Strangelove," said Harry. "You watch muggle movies?"

"I keep hearing you mention them, so I thought I'd check them out," said Roger. "And the girl that I took to the Yule Ball last night seems to know a lot about them, so I watched a few at the muggle cinema nearby. You know the one."

"I never thought you had it in you," said Harry. "What've you seen?"

"Well, we went to see _Star Wars,_ " said Roger with a smile, proudly. "It was amazing. I've never seen anything like it before. I can't wait to go again."

"Slowly bringing you into the 1980s," said Harry, with a smirk. "Okay, let's see what else I've got. There's two more parcels, can you get that one for me?"

"Sure," said Roger, handing Harry one that was stored slightly further away from the others. He unwrapped it. "It's a muggle book. _Treasure Island,_ from Nymphadora Tonks."

"Oh cool," said Harry. "I haven't actually read that one. It's meant to be quite good."

The last parcel was less of a parcel and more of a letter, which Harry opened to find out that it was from Lupin, and was a muggle postcard of a fairly old mansion on-top of a hill. The instructions said quite simply ' _Meet Me Here at 11',_ and contained his signature inside them. "What's that?"

"A postcard," said Harry. "Muggles send it to each other when they're on holiday."

"But Lupin isn't on holiday. He's downstairs."

"Obviously not anymore," said Harry, piling up his presents, realising where he was. He hadn't got a gift from Davis yet but that was about to be expected because despite their newfound friendly interaction and exchanges they hadn't quite reached that stage of friendship yet, and their conversations still felt awkward. Davis was turning over a new leaf, that much was certain, but he still had a long way to go. "I guess I'll see you at dinner."

"You too," said Harry, taking the parcels up to his room. He opened _Treasure Island_ to find a signature inside it from Tonks, which simply read, _'Sorry for last night. Thought this might cheer you up.'_ The second book on muggle myths and legends contained no such note, but Harry had a few ideas as to who could possibly have sent him the gift, with Dumbledore being one of them. But he was unsure as to why Dumbledore would send him the information about the myths and legends unless it had some connection to the Cult, which he would have to dig into further. But unfortunately, time was running out for his meeting with Lupin, and after changing into some jeans, and a thick blue t-shirt combined with a woolly jumper, it was already half past ten giving him little time to get outside the anti-apparition wards using the secret passageways to Hogwarts. At the bottom of Ravenclaw tower however he found Harper, who was waiting for him, with her Walkman headphones in her head and the _For Harper_ mixtape in the cassette player. She had not noticed Harry and was busy dancing away to music that was put on such a high volume that even Harry could hear it, to the tune of Solomon Burke's _Cry to Me._ "Harper," Harry said, but when she didn't respond, he further added, at a loud, raised voice, " _HARPER!"_ which served to earn her attention.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just, this song was too good. Is all muggle music as good as what you've got here?"

"Sadly not," said Harry. "But that's a pretty good starter pack. Thanks for the Nimbus, by the way. It means a lot."

"I guess you'll have to start turning up to other people's Quidditch matches in the future now," said Harper with a smile. She was wearing a thick woolly jumper with the name _HARPER_ stitched on it in gold, and seeing Harry look at her, she added, "Oh, this was from Mrs. Weasley. She's trying to get Ron back on speaking terms with Sam so made these to try and make amends. So far they seem to be getting on better than expected, and there hasn't been a fight, which is good, I guess."

"I guess even Weasley can change," said Harry. "His mum probably reminded him how important it was that he stayed in the family's good books."

"True," said Harper. "Oh, and speaking of changing minds, me and Sam have a plan. At dinner tonight we're having our own family reunion. Dad doesn't know it yet but we're going to take you into the room where we have our meals, and we're going to try and convince him to take you back. I mean, you're going to need it. Your bank balance isn't looking too great and you're going to struggle to be able to get a new place _and_ all the books needed for your last year even with a part time job."

"This is a bad idea," said Harry. "Dad didn't even bother turning up to my task and he didn't speak to me last night. What makes you think he'll change his mind?"

"We haven't tried to convince him altogether yet. And I've talked to Mum. She's willing to give it another shot," said Harper. "Maybe miracles do happen on Christmas, right?"

"I'll believe it when I see it," said Harry, smiling.

"Yeah you will, because it's going to happen and you're going to come," said Harper, poking him playfully in the chest. "Please?"

"I'll think it over," said Harry. "But if you keep pestering me I won't come."

Harper realised he was joking and smiled, heading off down the corridor in the opposite direction. "Fine. Be like that. I'll see you at One. Don't be late!"

Harry nodded at her, and turned around, heading to the nearest secret passageways to Hogsmeade.

 **III.**

It was snowing when Harry landed at the return address on the map that Remus had provided him with. Landing in the grasslands, the mansion was actually bigger than he had previously expected, but was clearly rundown and in disrepair, a far cry from the grandeur presented on the postcard when the building was in its heyday. Bushes and weeds were overgrown and he could even see a few Ravens lurking on the highest tops of the mansion, which stretched across a wide-open space of land. The views behind him ran all the way down to a frozen lake, which stretched out into the distance. He was in the middle of nowhere, Scotland, and he was wondering the true purpose behind Remus bringing him here. "Harry," said Lupin with a smile, approaching him from behind, wearing a brown hat and gloves on a thick jacket. "You made it."

"Happy Christmas, Professor," Harry said, smiling at him. "Of course. I wasn't going to miss this. What's up with the house though? Looks like I've walked into an Agatha Christie mystery."

"And a Happy Christmas to you too, Harry," said Lupin, "So. I'll get straight to the point. A few months ago, I recently learned that a rather wealthy relative of mine Gregory Wren unfortunately passed away. And given that the mansion was one of his properties, it now falls into my possession. But unfortunately, I already own a house in a relatively secluded spot and have no desire to leave so that begs the question… what do I do with a house that I don't need? I can't afford to keep it up, and in the condition it's in, nobody in the wizarding world will want to buy it. So that leaves me with another option. Something that's not quite a sale, but also not quite keeping it."

"Oh?" Harry raised an eyebrow, having an idea as to where this was going.

"I want to give it to you," said Lupin. "Given the recent falling out with your family it would appear that you will have no place to live at the end of the year, and I thought it would make sense to save you the trouble and allow you to spend your money elsewhere."

"This is too much, Professor," said Harry. "Seriously, I can't take this. I won't be able to keep it up to date by myself."

"That is why I made a few contacts," said Lupin, with a smile, and said, loudly, to the air, "Dobby?"

A few seconds later, Dobby the House Elf appeared. "Master Lupin and Master Potter, sirs. How may I help you this morning?"

"I recently made contact with Professor Dumbledore who, upon understanding the need that you faced in the foreseeable future, was willing to loan out Dobby to you to work on the repairing of the house, as well as any extra House Elves that you need," said Lupin. "The money will be provided by the Headmaster to pay the Elves that wish to be paid, and they will help you with anything that you desire."

"Professor, I'm not kidding, this is too much," said Harry. "I don't deserve this."

"We both know that's a lie," said Lupin. "Besides. If I were to fix this up and sell this myself, we both know that it would only be dark families that would be interested in buying this building. People like the Lestranges are looking for new houses, and you wouldn't want me to sell it to them, would you?"

"This is blackmail!" protested Harry, but beneath the accusation, he couldn't help but be overawed by the new occasion that developed. After clearing up laughter that had risen from his accusation, he added, "Seriously, Professor, I don't know how to thank you. This is amazing. Honestly."

"Glad to see that you've finally seen reason," Lupin said. "The Elves will be working on the house for the rest of the year, and you should be able to move into it in the Summer. Isn't that right Dobby?"

"It is a lot of work, Professor Sirs, but we will have it done!" said Dobby. "Anything for Master Potter. Now if you'll excuse me, Sirs, I have work to do for the feast."

Without further ado he vanished from view, leaving them alone to admire the house.

"Well don't you want to have a look around?" Lupin said, gesturing Harry to follow him. The brother of the Boy Who Lived nodded, giving thanks to Lupin again, and followed him into the house, closing the door behind them as they entered, as he prepared himself to explore his future home.

 **TO BE CONTINUED….**


	20. Tupelo

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

Got the idea to explore something different with this chapter which features none of the main cast at all. Also looks like the alerts are back so if you missed a few chapters, feel free to go back and check them out as you may find yourself missing important info. This one's a bit experimental and the first part of a two parter, so the second one will explain what Lupin and Harry got up to and what happened to them. These characters in this chapter all OC's, by the way, and won't become permanent characters in the fic, but they do play a very important part in these two chapters all the same.

 **Chapter Twenty: Tupelo**

 **I.**

The professor looked across at the four students, who were between the ages of eighteen and twenty in the pub, a deeply informal setting, especially given the fact that it was of all things, Christmas Day, "So, I'd like to thank you for agreeing to meet me here when the rest of the class decided to attend their other activities," he said. "Unfortunately, that can only be expected, it is Christmas after all, but I had hoped my students might show a bit more passion for such a module..."

"No offense Professor, but I think most of them are just taking it for easy As," said the girl, whose name he vaguely recalled as Tatiana Davis. She was sitting next to Scott Hendrix who was next to Kyle Waits, but beyond that there was nobody else there. His class wasn't exactly big anyway, but even so, he supposed that he had considered himself optimistic that the full twenty students would show up. "And to be honest, I'm only here because I don't have anything better to do. Perks of being an orphan."

The professor, Jacob Smith, nodded in the direction of Tatiana and He took a sip of the cider in his left hand, despite the fact that it was still far too early in the morning, and said, "Alright. Let's get down to business. The reason why I called you here is because I think I actually believe we have a good shot at finding a ghost. Today, the one day of the year, my theory might very well be proven. Ghosts are out there and they exist."

Kyle rolled his eyes as the Professor spoke. He was on his phone, bored and disinterested, having only come here because his parents were in America and he had to remain behind due to his winter exams, and all of his other flatmates had gone back home. _And_ he also had a crush on Tatiana, but that was beside the point. His mate had just gotten a brand-new Sega Genesis, and was busy explaining all the games that he had gotten via text. In the background the bar owners were having a Christmas party of their own with their family, who were giving the students and their Professor a few odd looks as they caught snatches of their conversation. "Mr. Waits… may I direct your attention back to the matter at hand? We have been granted a special permit to investigate Brockmire Manor on the event of the owner's death as no new owner has yet been registered in the archives yet. And I believe that before the agencies come in to sweep it up, we can investigate."

"Brockmire Manor? Isn't that place meant to be haunted?"

" _Exactly,_ Mr. Hendrix," said the Professor with a smile, talking to Scott. "Carpe Diem. Seize the day, Mr. Hendrix. Anyway. Considering this is far, far too early to be drinking alcoholic beverages, I think now would be a good time to depart, especially since time is of the essence! Come on, cough up the tips." 

"I don't tip," commented Kyle. "Sorry."

"What, because you can't afford it?" The Professor said. "Cough it up. It's only a few pounds. You're not going to miss it when the student loan comes in next month."

"Fine," said Kyle, rolling his eyes. "What about you, Scotty. You tipping?"

"Not directly," he said, nervously. "I'd rather give the money to you to give to her than give it directly to than to her. I don't like talking to strangers much."

"Oh come on, she's not going to bite," Kyle said. "Coward. And you don't even have to give it to her, just leave it on the table. Have you ever been to a pub before?"

Scott shook his head and threw in the coins. "Whatever. Can we just get moving, please? We have cameras in the car already and we're going to set up everything when get there at 10."

"This was probably _way_ too early to start drinking," mused Tatiana.

"Well, nothing else was open on Christmas Day," said The Professor, shrugging his shoulders. "This is the only place that is and that's only because I know the staff. Besides, what difference does beer in the morning make? We might need it if we actually find what we're looking for."

"Yeah, whatever, Bill Murray," Tatiana said, dryly. "Hey, because we came with you, can we get As on our next exam?"

"If only it was automatically that easy," said The Professor. "Come along. If you like, I'll even let you choose the music while we drive."

Tatiana smiled, and moved after Scott and Kyle climbed to their feet, she followed, smiling at the waitress who took the coins. She was only here because she was a member of the family that were owned the pub which was the main reason why it was open on Christmas Day, their house was far too small for the fairly large extended family and the pub seemed like the perfect place to host it. If they got any extra customers on that day, it was an added bonus. "Hey, Tatiana?" Kyle called after Scott, once they had left the pub and had made their way through the snow towards the car, finding themselves someway behind both Scott and Professor Smith.

"What?" Tatiana said, looking up at the blonde-haired teen behind her. His hair was shaggy and needed cutting, but Kyle's personal excuse for not getting it cut just yet was because he hadn't been to any of the barbers' in the area and didn't trust them with his hair, preferring instead to wait until he got the chance to go back home. Tatiana had adopted a more daring and adventurous look that almost certainly would have gotten her in trouble if they were back at school, having dyed her hair a dark blue, wearing a thick tomboyish jacket alongside gloves that had holes at the tip of her fingers despite the cold, and her jeans had been deliberately ripped around the knees. "You alright, Kyle?"

"Um, yeah. Listen, I was just wondering if you know, after this, you want to go to the movies? I hear The Nightmare Before Christmas is pretty good. Or y'know, Dazed and Confused I still on. That's amazing."

"Thanks for the offer, Kyle, but that's not my sort of thing," she said. "Sorry. Besides, I have other plans anyway. Maybe another time?" 

Kyle didn't need to be a genius to tell that Tatiana was saying that just to be polite to him, and shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Sorry. Forget I asked."

Tatiana gave him a cheerful smile, and upon reaching Professor Smith's car, instantly called "Shotgun!" before either Kyle and Scott could. However, given that whilst they'd been inside, snow had already been building up on the windshield, it was clear that they weren't going anywhere soon. "Dammit. It's snowing really bad."

"That's what you get for going to university in Scotland," commented Professor Smith. "Okay. Who wants to help me clear off this snow? With luck, we still should be able to make it to the mansion."

 **II.**

Despite Professor Smith's instructions for the students not to break into a song as the car pulled up to the back entrance to the mansion, they found themselves singing along to Bruce Springsteen's _Born in the U.S.A,_ despite not generally liking Springsteen or being from the USA, but given that it was on the radio and their spirits needed rousing before the main event, it was something that Scott and Kyle were all too willing to do. It was only once the car drew to a halt and the music stopped did the singing die down halfway through Queen's _Radio Ga Ga_ did the three students bail out of the car. "Thank god that's over," Tatiana said. "I hate Queen."

"If you hate Queen, why were you singing along to it?" Scott said, as they approached the boot of the car.

"Because, if Classic Rock FM is the only station that we can get in middle of nowhere _Scotland,_ then Classic Rock FM is the only station that I can sing songs from," Tatiana said, sarcastically scolding Scott. "Alright. Wow. The place looks a lot bigger up close."

"Looks Almost like Versailles," remarked Scott. "I mean. From the pictures, at least. How rich do you reckon the owner of this place was, anyway?"

"Probably very," said Tatiana, smiling at him. "I mean, look at this place, you could get the whole university in here and you'd still have space for more room, especially if you include the grounds. So, Professor, you still haven't told me what ghost you're looking for yet."

"I did in the car," said Professor Smith. "You were too busy singing along to Queen."

"Oh. Right. Well, in that case, screw Queen even more. What's up?"

"It's a poltergeist," remarked Professor Smith. "They're tricky little buggers. Like to play games on you. We're not exactly sure who the person was when he was alive, but obviously, he must have undergone a traumatic death or else he would well, not be a poltergeist and have moved on. That's what our job in part is to do today. Find evidence that the ghost exists, and then… help him move him on."

"Assuming he exists," Kyle said. "What makes you think he wants to move on? Maybe he likes it here."

"Ghosts don't want to stay put on Earth as a general rule, Mr. Waits. They'd move on if they could. But something's keeping them here. Causing all this trouble. Can you pass me that camera?"

"Sure," said Kyle, reaching into the boot of the car to pick up the camera. "Here you go."

"Thanks," said Professor Smith, handing the camera. "Okay, let's get into the main living room, I went here yesterday so the back door should still be open. Let's see if he's home."

 **III.**

It had taken them approximately half an hour for the group to establish the cameras around the room. These were mainly VHS Camcorders held in place by tripods, and the room was illuminated by a flickering fireplace. "Okay," said Tatiana, once they had completed the set-up, sitting down on a dusty sofa. "So, assuming we do find definitive proof that ghosts exist and we wind up making millions off of it. What are you going to do with the money? Scott?"

"Cancer research," he said, instantly, and then elaborated. "My Mum died of cancer when I was a baby. I'd put my money to that so people can help stop it from happening to somebody else."

"That's sweet," commented Tatiana. "What about you, Kyle?"

"I don't know, probably buy Manchester United or something," he said, earning a laugh from Tatiana. "Sorry. I really don't know. My parents already have a lot of money, so I get enough from them already. I don't know what I'd do with more."

"You could buy a yacht," suggested Tatiana. "Yachts are cool. Then you could go anywhere."

"I don't know how to swim," said Kyle. "What happens if I hit a rock?"

"Well don't hit a rock," said Tatiana. "Professor? What about you?"

"Further research, of course. There have been apparent sightings of several demons in Albania. This was a few years ago anyway, but I would love to travel south and investigate to see if there was any truth to that matter," he said. "So... I guess that just leaves you, Tatiana."

"I dunno," she said with a shrug. "I'd probably go and see Prince or something. Just go on endless concerts. Prince, Bowie… Yeah, that'd be cool. But anyway. What are we waiting for, Professor?"

"You'd know this if you actually paid attention in class," said Professor Smith. "There are several tell-tale signs of a Poltergeist appearance. Disappearing objects, stuff that wasn't there before. Say, like that portrait going missing."

"That's a portrait?" asked Tatiana. "That's weird. There's nothing in it. It's just blank."

"But that's impossible, there was a picture of the owner there yesterday," said Professor Smith, taking off his glasses to rub them ever so slightly to have a proper look at the portrait that he had only gestured at by hand earlier because he knew it so well. "By God. You're right. Something has definitely changed."

"So, a missing portrait," said Tatiana. "Is that one of your tell-tale signs of a poltergeist activity?"

"Usually when the painting goes, the frames go with it," clarified Professor Smith. "But here, look. The chair is still there, where our man… Solomon Lupin, sat. It's almost as if he got up and walked away."

"Maybe Solomon Lupin's the ghost?"

"No, this is just his portrait," Smith said. "The poltergeist is somewhat less physical."

"Okay," said Kyle. "Any other signs we should be looking for?" 

"Loud disturbances," said Smith. "Anything that goes crash or bang and you're sure that nobody human knocked over something accidentally. Come on, have you not seen Poltergeist?"

"No, sorry," said Kyle. "I thought you said that movie was largely worthless anyway? In your first lecture."

"Admittedly, It does have its merits," said Smith. "There is also signs of physical attacks. Power created from nowhere. Electrical interferences. Scents and odors. Come on, this is all basic stuff. I'd like to think that one of you actually paid attention in my class."

Tatiana shook her head, and Kyle followed suit. Scott was brave enough to speak only after Smith's gaze lingered on him for a few seconds longer than necessary, making him feel uncomfortable, "I did, actually, Professor. I just didn't want to say anything."

"Ah. Understandable," said Professor Smith. "But you two. I must ask. If both of you aren't interested, why did you come?"

"I'm interested, it's just I zone out pretty quickly," said Tatiana. "And besides, the girl in front of me is kind of cute. But that doesn't matter… And besides, now that we've established that Solomon Lupin isn't home… he has to be somewhere, right? Why don't we start looking for him?"

"That might actually work," suggested Professor Smith. "He may not be in this room but he could be elsewhere. Okay. So, here's what we're going to do. Poltergeists are vulnerable to rock salt. If we create a circle around the immediate living room then we should have a safe spot to return to. Assuming of course he actually exists."

"If not, then we don't have to worry, right?" Tatiana said. "I sure hope we don't end up in an insane asylum for this."

"Don't worry, we won't," said Professor Smith. "If anything, We'll end up on the front page of Time Magazine."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," said Tatiana, rolling her eyes. "So. We sweep the house, find Lupin and see if we can find out how he was moved?"

"Are you sure someone didn't brush over his painting?" Kyle said. "They can't just move."

"Well this one did," said Professor Smith. "And we have a relatively large house to find, so I suggest we split up and cover it in two groups. Me and Kyle will head this way, and Scott will go with Tatiana. You'll take the left wing and the first floor and we'll take the right wing and the basement. You can take the top floor as well. Does that sound fair?"

"Sure," said Scott, nervously, glancing at Tatiana. "Should we bring a camcorder with us?"

"Yes," Professor Smith said. "Record anything you see and report back to me at one if there is any news, and then we can have some lunch."

"Yes sir," said Scott, and without further ado, grabbed a camera and followed Tatiana down the hall. The black-haired student didn't bring up any conversation and was merely focused on following the light that was presented in the relative daylight, zooming in on the old portraits around the house. A few seconds later he found himself jumping backwards, nearly knocking into Tatiana. "I could have sworn I saw something move in those paintings…"

"Oh come on, it's just you," said Tatiana. "No need to look so frightened. They're just _paintings,_ Scott. Hey. It'll be okay, right? We'll find out that this is all just a waste of time and then we can go back to campus in time for tea."

"Yeah. That sounds great," said Scott, trying to act cheerful, but came across as more sarcastic. "Back to a place that's almost as deserted as here."

"I'm still trying to get used to the fact that this place is Just. So. Big," said Tatiana. "I haven't seen anything like it before. And the walls too, they look so old. Come on. Let's go upstairs first and work our way down."

"That sounds good," said Scott, following her lead, focusing the camera back the way he came. He heard something crash in the distance and jumped again, only seconds later. "Okay, that was something, right? You heard that crash?"

"I heard it," said Tatiana. "It came from the living room." 

"Do you think we should check it out?"

"No," said Tatiana. "It's probably just Kyle or Professor Smith. Speaking of Kyle, can you believe him? He tried to ask me out earlier."

Scott tried not to look interested, and reminded her that the camera was rolling so that she should be careful what she said.

"He doesn't look at these anyway," said Tatiana, rolling her eyes as they reached the top of the stairs and turned into the first room, which looked to be some kind of bedroom. "I could say, screw you Kyle and nobody would care. Anyway. You know me."

"I don't, actually. We don't talk in class. You're too busy talking to Sarah."

"Well, we're talking now," commented Tatiana, shrugging her shoulders. They had now reached what could only be described as library, full from floor to ceiling with several books. She approached one and looked at the title, "Weird. Looks like this guy was a hardcore Dungeons and Dragons player. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? What kind of a name is Newt Scamander?"

"Well, this whole building reeks of posh people," said Scott. "I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Scamander was upper class with a name like that. Oh, and look. I think we found our missing painting."

Scott zoomed the camcorder in on the face of the man who roughly resembled Solomon Lupin, who had stumbled into another painting, belonging to that of Gregory Wren. They appeared to be painted having some sort of conversation, but obviously, couldn't move as they were frozen in place, and it was quite frankly, a painting, so its occupants couldn't really move at all, at least to Scott's knowledge. "That's impossible," commented Tatiana, as Scott moved the camcorder in on the painting. "Look. It's almost as if he got bored of his own painting and decided to drop in on someone else's. Anyway, have you seen what's in this book? It's so weird. Look. Either Dungeons and Dragons got very different since the last time I played it or this is something different, because I sure as hell don't remember reading about an Obscurial. Hey. You think Professor Smith would want this?"

"It's probably just a fantasy book," commented Scott, turning around. The grandfather clock in the corner of the room made a noise as he did so, beginning to tick. He instantly turned his attention to the clock with the camcorder, zooming in on it as it moved faster and faster. "Um, Tatiana? You know what one of the telltale signs of a Poltergeist's appearance was?"

"Something to do with objects moving when they shouldn't?" Tatiana said, raising an eyebrow. Almost immediately as she said that sentence, a few books, no more than three were thrown off the shelf towards her with violent speed. She was just far enough away to avoid them, but instantly, this alerted her to the fact that something was definitely wrong. "Jesus Christ. Hey, Kyle? Cut it out will you? That's not funny."

"For some reason, I don't think that's Kyle," said Scott, glancing across at the bookshelf. A few more books were hurled at them, one just missing Scott this time. "What the hell is up with that book?"

"What book?"

"This one," Scott said, gesturing down at the one on the floor. "It looks like it's got fangs."

"And it seems to be _moving,_ " Tatiana observed in growing horror, with the book rapidly advancing towards Tatiana, smashing its teeth together. "That's got to be a prank, right, Scott?"

"I think now might be a good time to run," said Scott, glancing behind them to the door of the library. "Um… I don't remember shutting that door."

"You've got to be kidding me, right?" Tatiana said, shoving herself violently against the door. "Dammit! Someone locked the door. Hey, Kyle! Professor! Anyone there?"

"We're trapped," Scott said, glancing across at the rest of the library and realising that there was no way out. "And I'm about to get killed by a book."

"Yeah, you're right, that's not how I imagined I'd go out at all," said Tatiana. "Remind me never to complain to a librarian again…"

"Hey," said Scott, noticing something on the wallpaper on the other side of the room. "See that gap in the decoration? Something's written under the walls. It might give us a clue on how to get out of here."

"Okay… how are we going to get over there?"

"I need you to distract the book," said Scott, glancing down at whatever the hell it was that was advancing on them, getting rapidly closer by the second. "Can you do that?"

"I don't think that'll be a problem," said Tatiana, nodding.

"Okay," said Scott. "Let's do this."

He instantly turned around and backed away, whilst Tatiana approached the bookshelf and proceeded to hurl more books at the one that was considerably more aggressive. Scott advanced, pushing his way forward, leaping over a chair, and running towards the wallpaper, which he instantly ripped off, making sense of bits of scribbled text on the wall behind before he could even move.

"What does it say?" Tatiana called, with her back to Scott, still continuing to throw more books at the monster book.

' _Dear Muggles. Stay out of the water…. From, Harry Potter… Oh. And good luck with the Poltergeist…'_

"What water?" Scott asked after he finished reading the text aloud, glancing around the room. It didn't take him long to work out what water this mysterious Harry Potter was talking about, because it was clear from the noise behind him, coming through even above the sound of the book, that there was a distinctive sound of water dropping down from the ceiling above. "Um. Tatiana?"

"I'm kind of busy right now," Tatiana said, having crawled onto to the chair near the Gregory Wren painting, throwing whatever she could down at the book. The camera had been placed on the floor, filming them from a distance. "What's up with the water, Scott?"

"I don't think we should touch it," said Scott, backing away from the damp spot in the corner of the room, towards the monster. As he backed away it was almost like the water that was in a puddle on the floor began to follow him, slowly and curiously, as if inspecting its new owner. "And I'm starting to think that splitting up was a bad idea…"

"Yeah," said Tatiana, leaping over the chair and across the book. As she fell, she hit the floor, brushed her hand across the book's spine by accident, and rolled over to a halt. As if struck by something, the book stopped screaming and attacking them, stopping instantly in its tracks. Brushing the dust off her arms, Tatiana climbed to her feet and glanced across at Scott, who was backing away from the water still. "Looks like I beat the book. Weird. The Monster Book of Monsters? This doesn't sound like your average fantasy fan's collection. This is way too hardcore."

"Well, we've got more problems to worry about," said Scott. "And I don't exactly want to find out what the water does when it touches me. We should get out of here."

"What about the camera?"

"We'll get it later," said Tatiana, and as she spoke, she took Scott's hand. "Come on. Let's go and find the others and get the hell out of here!"

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED….**_

So, that was a fun experiment to write. I was influenced a lot by Doctor Who's _Blink_ and _Waters of Mars_ for this, two of my favourite episodes, and wanted to write something about what would happen if some muggles found about the magical world thinking it was something along the lines of ghosts whilst finding a way to tie it into the own plot. Harry and Lupin will return next chapter, and you'll get a more concrete idea of the antagonist. If you've seen _Waters of Mars_ and _Blink_ then you may get a good idea of what I'm going for with this, but obviously, I'm going to be playing with your expectations a bit so it won't end up as a hundred per cent copy. And next chapter if all goes to plan (although no promises), you'll learn who's the leader of the cult.

And I tried to keep it as 1994-y as possible with the era of this chapter, so hopefully there shouldn't be any anachronisms here. If there are, feel free to let me know and I'll edit them in. I wanted to throw a _Blair Witch Project_ reference in but sadly that film didn't come out until 1999… Hence why you get _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ and _Dazed & Confused _instead. I haven't actually seen _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ – for some reason – but _Dazed & Confused _is a classic.

Also, I thought I'd throw in a few fic recommendations here. For somebody that does horror a lot better than I do, check out Voice of the Nephilim's incredible _Elizium for the Sleepless Souls._ I'll do my best to provide fanfic recs each chapter if anyone's interest for more to read. But this author's note is already dragging on far too long, so I thought I'd end it there.


	21. California Dreamin'

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Twenty-One: California Dreamin'**

Scott and Tatiana ran down the hallway of the manor that belonged to Lupin's ancestors, not looking back. They skidded to a panicked halt inside the salt circle, having used their pace to get away from the slow-moving water. Upon inspection of the hallway using light from a torch, Scott found himself noticing a body forming in the distance, where they had just run from. "Professor? Kyle?" Tatiana had recognised it too, and called out after them.

There was a moment of silence, and then the thing adapted, offering a sound to the voice that sounded like disorientated version of Tatiana's comments. It spoke slowly, like a child learning how to speak an unfamiliar language for the first time. "Professor? Kyle?"

"Okay, that's weird," Tatiana said, inside the salt circle. "Who are you, really?"

"Okay, that's weird," the humanoid responded. Its face was hidden in the darkness but it was slowly walking towards Tatiana and Scott, echoing Tatiana's every word, becoming more and more confident. "Who are you, really?"

"That is definitely not normal," said Tatiana, to Scott, and the thing echoed her comment. "We're safe in here, though, right?"

"At least that's what the Professor said, I don't know if salt will do anything against water," said Scott. The humanoid for now had stopped still and was standing there with its head just hidden in the darkness, but the hair standing up on the back of both teenagers' necks signified that it was still looking very much at them, echoing their comments all the way. "Where are they anyway?"

"I don't know," said Tatiana. "Hopefully they've had better luck than us."

"In finding a ghost or avoiding one?" said Scott.

"Both," said Tatiana, smiling. "Okay. that thing is still weird. It hasn't stopped echoing. I'm going to test it."

"I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Jesus, Kyle, Professor, Solomon Lupin, Labour, Tories, Prince, Manchester United, Carlisle,Blondie, The Smiths, It's The End of the World as We Know it and I Feel Fine, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – _ha_!" Tatiana said, at rapid-fire speed, and after a pause, watched the thing mimic her words even further, even though it was at a slower speed. "What… that's impossible. Nobody talks that fast and echoes it so perfectly. If I wasn't so scared I'd almost be impressed..."

"Do you think it'll follow if we leave the circle?" said Scott, glancing to the door where the Professor and Tatiana had gone down. "Because I don't know about you, but I wasn't especially keen on staying here…"

"I don't know," said Tatiana. "I still can't see its face…"

"Um, there's another one," said Scott, glancing to the door where the Professor and Kyle had just left. "It looks younger. Almost like… no. Hold on. I recognise that face. But that's impossible. He was just here!"

The other humanoid stepped into the light, slowly and surely, mimicking the footsteps of the newest arrival. This one was older and resembled a man in his late thirties, and both Scott and Tatiana didn't take too long to come to the same conclusion. Tatiana swore, violently, as her face morphed into a horrified expression of her own once she noticed what had happened to the face of Professor Smith. His mouth had been transformed and was now spitting out water, much like the rest of his body. All of his clothes were soaked and it was clear that regardless of whatever was possessing him, Professor Smith was no longer in the building. "Okay, we _need_ to get out of here."

"How? Both of the exits are blocked."

Professor Smith repeated what Tatiana said whilst Kyle began repeating what Scott said. The two didn't understand the purposes of the speaking pattern but it resembled nothing good, and something had to be done, fast. Upon instinct, Tatiana looked up at the ceiling, exploring the possibilities. "I think I might just have found a way out."

"What? How are you going to get up there?" Scott said. "It's a trap door... you'd have to be taller to even grab a hold of it. And we don't know where it goes."

"Well, we don't have another choice," said Tatiana. "Hey… Scott? If you could pick any place in the world where you'd want to go… where would it be?"

"California," said Scott. "I don't know why. I just always wanted to go there."

"California sounds good," Tatiana said. "Like the song."

"There's a song?"

"How can you _not know…_ forget it," Tatiana said, and then added, "Right. I'm gonna climb up on top of you and try and get it down. Whatever happens, do not drop me outside the circle. It seems to be working."

"Sure," said Scott, and bent down to allow Tatiana to climb on her. She was fairly light, about five foot five in total, and was easily lifted up by the taller Scott, helping her reach the rope that pulled down the trap door and unleashed the step ladder, which thankfully, came down inside the circle.

"Well, that actually worked," said Tatiana. "Now we go up and see what's upstairs. California?"

"Why'd you bring that up?"

"Oh, to just to calm you down, you were getting pretty agitated," said Tatiana. "I guess we climb now. You think you can do that?"

"Yeah," said Scott. "So who wants to go first?"

"Well, given the choice between the creepy water monsters that look like people that we know and are still echoing everything that we say or the dark unknown of a house where a Poltergeist could be hiding," said Tatiana, "I'm gonna say the dark unknown of a house where a Poltergeist could be hiding. What the hell. I'll go." 

And with that, Tatiana climbed up the step ladder, looking down below. Hauling herself up she found herself in a room with wooden floorboards and no light, but was relieved to see that Scott had brought up a torch with him, and had successfully managed to close the lid behind him. "Okay…" Tatiana said. "Now let's find out where we are."

"We're at the other end of the house from where we were. This looks like some kind of spare room," said Tatiana. "No, wait, there's some weird, creepy symbols here. Like, I dunno, this person was into witchcraft or something."

"Witchcraft?"

"Yeah. It sounds spooky, but then, we've just been attacked by water monsters and ghosts," she said. "There's all sorts of upside down crosses and stuff. Black magic. I used to be pretty into this back when I was in my goth phase. There's all sorts of weird stuff that I recognise here, symbols of Satan, pictures of werewolves."

"Look," said Scott, pointing ahead to the room in front of them. "There's a light behind that door."

Scott approached the wooden door on the far side of the room that was illuminated by the light coming through its cracks, and pushed it open slowly. The brightness of the light illuminated him on the other side and he was met with something else waiting for him, "Okay, that's new." 

He'd read enough science fiction to recognise when somebody was in cryo-sleep when he saw one. "Their bodies are in stasis," he commented, observing the two forms in the wooden structures. The structures themselves were largely made up of one substance; wood, aside from the glass around it that made it resemble some kind of steampunk machine, especially when the large wheel in the background that was slowly turning, almost like a watermill. It was connected to something, but Scott wasn't sure what. One of them belonged to a boy about his age and the other was that of a middle-aged man, and he presumed that one of them must have been the person called Harry Potter. "What do we do?"

"Wake them up?" said Tatiana. "Maybe they got kidnapped like we did."

"Or maybe they're part of the whole thing."

"And we haven't seen that ghost in a while," added Tatiana. "I don't like it."

"We should wake them up and find out what they know. Do you see any buttons or switches anywhere?"

"No, but I see a lever by the wheel," said Scott, approaching the lever. "Should I pull it?"

"Yeah, sure," said Tatiana, as Scott approached it. "What's the worst that could happen?"

He pulled the lever in the room, and instantly, the wheel stopped, collapsing to a halt. Loud, inhuman noises of pain could be heard as if something had been triggered in the room but it seemed to be enough to work, as instantly, the smoke cleared around the glass and both strangers came coughing and wheezing into life. "Okay… that's weird," said the teenager, glancing up at both of them. He looked old for his age, Scott mused, having putting him at eighteen but the more he looked it was clear that he was closer to seventeen or sixteen. "Are you two muggles?"

"What's a muggle?"

"Oh boy," said the teenager. "We've got a lot of explaining to do and not a lot of time to do it in. Where's the poltergeist?"

"We don't know, but our friends downstairs, they touched the water and became some sort of monsters. They're echoing every word that we said and I don't know where they've gone," said Tatiana. "Tatiana, by the way."

"Harry Potter. This is Remus Lupin."

"No way," said Tatiana, glancing at the name reference. "You're related to the dude downstairs."

"Both of them in fact," said Lupin.

"Mind telling us what's going on?"

"Well, that would require breaking the statue of secrecy, but I think we're past that at this point. Long story sort, magic, ghosts, the supernatural, it's all real. The Poltergeist is my ancestor, Solomon Lupin. It's been so long I actually forgot about him," said Lupin. "He went mad back in the early nineteen hundreds, a knock on effect from the new magical technological advancements in the eighteen hundreds. All this new technology, it consumed him, trying to find eternal life. What you're seeing downstairs is a result of his creation."

"So that explains the whole Steampunk vibe," commented Scott. "So. Magic is real? You two are what, wizards?"

"Yep," said Harry. "You two seem pretty okay with it."

"Well, we did just get attacked by a poltergeist and witness our friends transformed into water monsters," said Tatiana. "They can't get past salt, by the way."

"Salt? Seriously?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow. "That actually works?"

"Apparently," said Scott. "I'm Scott, by the way."

"Your surname wouldn't happen to be Tracy, would it?"

"No," Scott shook his head. "Sorry."

"Damn. I wanted to make a Thunderbirds reference," said Harry. "Okay. Now. There might be a way to reverse the polarity, get your friends back, but we need to help the Poltergeist move on first. Basically, this technology should have died, hundreds of years ago. But it looks like Solomon put some sort of connection to the place. As long as his ghost is around, it keeps the power on and the people possessed. He manipulated the water in order to create a guard, tapping into forbidden magic, if you came through from back there you saw some of his… research."

"Yeah," Tatiana said. "But what I don't understand is why the need for the guards if you already have the poltergeist? And why were you suspended and my friends converted?"

"I am not entirely sure, but to the best of my knowledge, proper conversion can only work on muggles, would be my guess," said Lupin. "That's why, in the other cases we saw skeletons. It's highly likely that you were the first muggles here. Why did you come, by the way?"

"Well, it was the Professor," explained Scott. "He spotted ghosts in the area when he came yesterday and decided to investigate on the hunch that they may be real. We came because we don't have anything better to do I guess."

"On Christmas?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you're here, aren't you?"

"Believe it or not, I was going to live here," said Harry. "No offense, Professor, but your Christmas gift is looking less appealing by the second."

"None taken," said Lupin, with a smile. "But we need to move. The poltergeist has unfortunately hidden our wands and reinforced the wards to prevent discovery from the outside so we cannot call for any outside help. We're going to have to do this on our own."

A loud knocking noise could be heard from the door of the room that Scott and Tatiana had just come through. "Okay…" Scott mumbled. "Is that the poltergeist or the water monsters?"

"Either way we shouldn't stick around to find out," said Harry. "And… Water Monsters?"

"We couldn't think of a better name, sorry," Tatiana said, sheepishly. "Is there?"

"Well, as far as I'm aware, no," said Harry. "I've never encountered these things before. You get first naming rights, I guess."

"Well in that case…. Can we name them later?" Tatiana said, glancing across at the door behind them. "Now might be a good time to leave."

"Sure," said Harry, pushing it open, leading them out onto the corridor. Harry lead the way, with Lupin bringing up the rear, glancing behind. He moved a chair from inside the room with the wheel to the outside, blocking the second door, and the two followed suit. Eventually they came across a fairly large telescope at the centre of the house, with the stairs reminding the two wizards in the room of Dumbledore's office, leading up to an overlooking perch that surrounded the sky. "Okay… Telescope, inside a library."

"There was another library back there," said Tatiana. "I guess this person likes to read. We found loads of weird books. Whose idea was it to come up with a book that attacks the owner?"

"Oh, that book," both Harry and Lupin recognised the book that Tatiana was talking about at the same time. "I should have probably warned, sorry, but I touched the water beforehand. Before I got dragged in out I had just enough time to write the message on the wall."

"Do any of you have any salt?" suggested Scott, suddenly, as the banging on the door followed suit seconds later. Three _BANGS_ and it was almost off its hinges, but both Scott and Lupin were successfully piling anything that they found against the door to keep it back. "It might be helpful if they break through the wall."

"Yeah, of course I have salt," said Harry. "I carry salt every day. Sorry. I'm out. What about you two?"

"I have some," said Tatiana, reaching into her pockets and pulling out a tube that she had collected from the abandoned equipment left downstairs. Instantly she made a line towards the back of the room. "If we stay behind this line, we should be good."

Scott and Lupin retreated behind the line as water began to drip through the cracks in the wooden door, almost catching Lupin. "Okay. So… Solomon Lupin. Professor, he's your ancestor, know anything about him?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," Lupin said, walking over to a book. "But we appear to have struck a goldmine, Harry. As a teacher to a former student I ask you… what is the most important weapon in the world?"

"The Spear of Destiny. Which we don't have…"

"Why am I not surprised that the Spear of Destiny's real…" Tatiana said, glancing across to Scott, who shrugged.

"You disappoint me, Harry," said Lupin. "The most important weapon in the world. We're surrounded by it. Books. You can learn anything that was ever written down just by reading a book. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to stop my ancestor. Save the muggles, not using weapons, not using wands… just books. It's all we need."

"Okay in that case… are we looking for?"

"Anything on Solomon Lupin's history. His family tree, past connections. Stuff that might indicate that he has something that might be worth finally moving on, finally letting go," said Lupin. "See what you can find. And then we get him to come here."

"Sounds like a plan," said Tatiana, rubbing her hands together. "Let's get to work."

It was a while before any of the four found something even remotely worthwhile. It seemed that the man had mainly used this room to store books related to muggle science, and this was the room where he looked more heavily into muggle technology rather than that of magical. There was the odd magical book here and there, and eventually Tatiana struck gold. "Boom. The Lupin Family Tree. Okay, let's see what we've got. Sorry… I'm still finding out that it's hard to believe that your name is actually Remus Lupin. I have a question… were you born a werewolf or did you become one later in life?"

Lupin looked at her, shocked. "I'm sorry? How could you possibly work that out with a name alone?"

"It's easy. Remus has links to someone responsible for the founding of Rome according to mythology," said Tatiana, "And he was raised by wolves… and Lupin is a form of the Latin, Lupus, which means Wolf. And I'm assuming werewolves are real because of the drawings back there, which got me thinking."

"Usually people try to approach conversations like these a little more tactfully," commented Lupin, causing Tatiana to apologise. "But you are correct. I am a werewolf. And no, I was not born one."

"For what it's worth - I'm sorry," Tatiana said. "Hey, it isn't going to be a full moon tonight, is it? Just in case we get stuck in here a bit longer than planned…"

"No, I should be fine tonight," said Lupin, glancing at the door. "And you are of course, Assuming that we make it to the evening."

"Ye of little faith," said Tatiana, a smile on her face. "Okay. Let's do this. I'm looking back through history, and wow, the Lupin name's really long. Archibald Lupin, there's a lot of overlaps with Wrens, even a Sparrow… and aha! Here we go. Solomon Lupin. Died wow, 1948. That means he was over a hundred. Wasn't the mortality rate back then really low?"

"Not that low, actually," Harry commented. "But wizards normally have a longer lifespan anyway. Any connections? Loved ones?"

"A wife," said Tatiana, looking at the picture. "Mary-Anne. She actually looks pretty hot, to be fair. Not bad."

"You are aware that she's been dead for centuries, right?" said Harry, glancing at the girl.

"Sorry," said Tatiana, glancing back at the door, which suddenly burst open, revealing the Water Monsters, her disfigured classmate and teacher. "Okay… now we just have to alert the Poltergeist and tell him that his wife's waiting for him. Is that going to work?"

"I'm not sure," said Lupin. "But we have little options left, and we're running out of time." 

" _But we have little options left, and we're running out of time,_ " the being that was once Professor Smith spoke eerily into the distance, not looking at anyone in particular.

"Okay, so how do we get big boy here?"

"They're normally attracted to light," remarked Harry. "Certain types, anyway. Not Peeves, but… the ones that have gone mad. So, we just need to make light. And without a wand, that's going be impossible. A torch won't be bright enough."

"A torch won't be enough, you're right," Scott commented, speaking up. "But. The Telescope. We could in theory channel the light from the sun down onto something bright or valuable. Like, I don't know. A diamond."

Harry glanced around the room. "In theory, that would be bright enough. But I don't see any diamonds anywhere…"

"Here," said Tatiana, pushing her hair back out of her ears, revealing two diamond earrings. Scott looked at her, surprised by the recent revelation. "What? You've seriously never seen these before?"

"I don't exactly look at you that often in class, if I'm being honest."

"You never look at anyone in class," Tatiana said. "Oh. I guess I'm not the type for diamond earrings. They were my Mum's. She died when I was a baby, like yours, I guess. You never said her name, by the way.

"Harriet," said Scott. "Harriet was her name."

"No way," Tatiana raised her eyebrows. "Harriet was my mum's name too."

"Look, guys, I'm all for unexplained coincidences and everything," said Harry. "But can we get a move on? It's only a matter of time before these guys tell us why they're mimicking us, and I don't think it's a good thing."

"Sure," said Tatiana. "Okay, this is going to hurt."

A short yelp followed as she did her best to remove the diamond ear pieces from her ear. The second one was removed in quick succession, and soon she placed them gently at the bottom of the Telescope's steps, where Harry took them. "Be careful with them," said Tatiana. "They're the only thing of my Mum's that I have on me."

"I'll do my best," said Harry, placing the earrings in the hatch. "Okay, let's light her up."

After adjusting the giant telescope, the light from the sun quickly fell through. It helped that it was around midday so even in the snow there were still spots of sunlight, and eventually, the light bounced off, illuminating the diamond earrings. Seconds passed, and soon, they turned into minutes, but for Tatiana and Scott, there was no clear sight of the Poltergeist at all. "I'm not seeing anything," said Tatiana, glancing around the room. "Did it work?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot," said Harry, starring directly at Tatiana. "Muggles can't see ghosts…"

"What's wrong?"

"Just. Don't. Move Back," said Harry, noticing how close she was to the edge of the salt line.

"It's right behind me, isn't it?" Tatiana said.

"Yeah," said Scott. "Hello, Solomon. Nice to finally meet you."

The poltergeist took a moment to respond, and it did slowly, and cautiously, its voice sounding hoarse and ancient, a far cry from the normal playful tone of Peeves. "Solomon… now there's a name that I have not heard for a long time. Yes. My name was once Solomon Lupin. And I understand I am looking at one of my descendants?"

"That would be me, yes," said Lupin, stretching himself to his feet. "It's an honour, Sir."

"Ah, he calls me a Sir! Someone who knows his manners," said Solomon. "It seems Manners have not been lost even in… what year is it now? Did we win the war?"

"Which one?" Harry couldn't help but respond.

"Oh," Solomon said with a pause. "That long?"

"It would appear so," said Lupin. "I have come to relieve you of your duties, my friend. You are no longer needed on this world."

"Needed? No longer needed? Who dare address me like that? I am this close, descendant. _This close_ to achieving my goal! I will not stop now. I will return, and when I do…"

"You'll return to what?" Tatiana spoke up, having been able to hear the words of the ghost but not see it. She had moved forward, closer to the telescope, away from the line and had turned around, pretending to know where it was. "There's nothing for you here anymore. Everyone that you know is dead. There is no family connection left. Your wife has moved on, and is waiting for you to join her. Imagine how lonely she is without you."

"My… wife?" Solomon said, pausing and stopping. "My.. Wife? Mary-Anne? You mean to tell me she is not around with me? I assumed, always… that she would wait for me. I searched this house for decades but I could not find her." 

"Like the girl said," Lupin said. "She's moved on. Maybe it's time you consider the same thing. There's more for you waiting in the afterlife than there is here. Look at the picture, Solomon."

The ghost looked at the picture of Mary-Anne that Tatiana held in front of her in the book. "She was a muggle, you know," said Solomon, suddenly. "A Muggleborn, I mean. I wanted to come back because I feel my mission has yet to succeed. To reintegrate two worlds, combine them. Magic and muggle alike. Wouldn't that be grand? But alas, I fear it hasn't been."

"Wait!" Tatiana protested. "Me and Scott, we're muggles. And my friends, they're muggles too! We know about magic. We can see you."

"Impossible. Muggles cannot see ghosts. Your friend said so himself."

"I can," said Tatiana, suddenly. "Alright. I'll do something. If I can tell you how many fingers you are holding up in your left hand, that proves I can see you right? Because I wouldn't be able to get it correctly if I couldn't see them."

"Very well," said Solomon smiling. "A game. I like a good game. How many fingers am I holding up, then, in my left hand, child?"

"Three," said Tatiana, suddenly, after a moment without hesitation and blinking. "Three."

"Are you sure?" Solomon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously," Tatiana said, as calmly as she could. "I can see them. There's three of them."

"You are correct," said Solomon. "Well done. It is a miracle. The muggle world has integrated with the magical world! My dreams have been accomplished! I never thought that could happen. What year is it, and how long did it take to happen?"

"It's Nineteen Ninety-Four," said Tatiana. "And it happened almost a decade earlier, in Nineteen-Eighty-Four. You've missed a lot."

"Merlin's Beard! That would explain so much!" Solomon said. "Thank you very much, young ones, for informing me of this welcome news. I will go to the grave knowing the truth. Farewell, my friends. May the bloodline of the Lupin family live long into legend. And you too, my muggles. I will be sure to tell my wife the good news. Farewell…"

And with that, the ghost vanished from view, for both Harry and Lupin at least, having successfully been deceived into thinking that his lifelong goals had been accomplished. "Did it work?" Scott couldn't help but break the silence, glancing across at Professor Smith and Kyle, who had suddenly stopped mimicking their voices. "Hey… um, Kyle? You in there?"

Coughing and spluttering followed, and seconds later, Kyle came wheezing into life. "What just happened?" he said, a confused look on his face. "Where am I? What the hell just happened?"

"I believe we ran into the owners of the Mansion," said Professor Smith, becoming aware of his new surroundings. He glanced down at the salt and said, "I must say. I did not expect to find fellow believers in the hunt of ghosts."

"It's more like a hobby," suggested Harry, with a shrug. "Sorry. But I'm afraid there's no Poltergeist here. You're wasting your time. That thing you thought you saw through the windows when you were investigating the house yesterday, it was something from a film projector of some cheesy horror movie. You know, classic eighties stuff with a bit of Christmas cheer. You're welcome to come to the next movie marathon if you want."

"Oh," said Smith, to the surprise of Tatiana and Scott, easily accepting this statement. "It appears I was mistaken. I assume there will be some sort of punishment for trespassing on your property?"

"That wouldn't be necessary," said Professor Lupin. "In fact, I would be willing to compensate you heavily for your wasted time here, and the destruction of two of your video cameras. Say, one thousand pounds for each of you?"

"I wasn't expecting you to be rich," said Tatiana, bluntly. "No offense, but wow."

"And yet they live in a big house like this," drawled Kyle, "Clearly, they have some money."

"Sure," said Tatiana. "Anyway… Harry? Could I have a word?"

"Sure," Harry said, and followed Tatiana over to the corner of the room.

"How do they seriously not remember anything?"

"It's the memory field of the house," said Harry, to calm down Tatiana. "Now that Solomon Lupin isn't stopping it, it's working its magic. Within a few hours, you'll probably forget all about magic altogether." 

"I figured," said Tatiana. "Your society doesn't exactly look like the most open one ever. I guess there had to be some way that we'd all lose our memories at the end of this."

"Don't worry, you'll keep a manufactured version of events, just without the magic," said Harry. "If that helps. Sorry. I wish our people were as advanced in their mindset as Solomon wanted us to be. But we're still stuck in the early nineteenth century."

"Maybe someday," said Tatiana. "Hey. When that day happens, can you come and find me and give me my memories back? This was actually a pretty cool experience. Instant death aside."

"No promises, but I'll consider it," said Harry. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'm fine. Me and Scott should be anyway. Will we remember that the event brought us closer together?"

"Probably not, I'm afraid," said Harry. "But I don't know. I've never been subjected to it myself."

"Well in that case," said Tatiana, walking over to Scott, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Kyle glared at the affection showed by Tatiana towards someone who wasn't him. "Thanks for helping out."

"You did most of the heavy lifting, actually," said Scott, shrugging. "This should be your credit. Oh, and your earrings, by the way. I suppose you'll want them back on."

"I can help with that," Harry said, nodding down at Tatiana. "If you'll come with me for a second, Tatiana?"

Tatiana understood that he was talking about Smith and Kyle, not wanting them to find out about magic. She followed him through back into the room where the wheel once was, but instead it had been replaced now with a series of pool tables and a television set, the ghosts' power no longer keeping it in check. "Here," said Harry, once Scott had closed the door. "Want to see some magic?"

"Sure," said Tatiana, her eyes lighting up with wonder and excitement as Harry reached for his wand, which had been placed on one of the new sofas in the room.

"Hold out your earrings," said Harry. "This is what magic should be like. _Reparo._ "

Tatiana obeyed, and Harry waved his wand, and a quick jolt later, both earrings found themselves back in place in a relatively painless manner. After feeling them, she said, "Wow. That's amazing. Thank you."

"If it helps you know, you two, you can always write something down on your hand," said Harry. "It might break the memory charm. But as long as it's not magic related, it should be fine."

"Do you have a pen?" said Tatiana, glancing across at Scott. He nodded, and pulled one out and passed it across to her. She wrote down the words _'Talk To Tatiana,'_ on his left hand, and then _'Talk to Scott,'_ on her right hand. "Thanks. Hopefully that should stick. Oh, and before the memory thing runs out, I have a question, Harry. Solomon said something that stuck with me."

"Oh?"

"Merlin's Beard. Merlin wouldn't happen to be real, would he? I won't remember any of this, so you might as well tell me."

"He was real, yeah," said Harry, nodding.

"Oh, cool," said Tatiana, a small smile on her face. "That's actually really awesome. Is he still around?"

"I don't think so. According to legend he might be, watching over King Arthur in the Lady of the Lake, but…" Harry said, pausing for a while. "Nobody really knows." 

"Well there's something for you to find out," said Tatiana with a smile. "Because there's something else as well. If Merlin was real, then that means King Arthur must have been. And if King Arthur was real, what about Mordred? He could be real, too, right? Was he ever stopped? Because if Merlin's still around than that means that Mordred might still be around, and given how powerful the two were meant to be, I was wondering, should I be worried?"

"No, you should be fine," said Harry, automatically. "He's been gone for centuries."

"Oh good. In that case," Tatiana said, smiling at him. "I'll be seeing you, I guess."

"And you," said Harry, returning the smile. Both Tatiana and Scott walked away, as Lupin approached Harry. "Wait, Tatiana?"

"What?"

"How did you know he was holding three fingers up?"

"I looked at the portrait which was in the book," she said. "He has a fourth finger missing on his left hand. I just went with three and got lucky."

"Huh. Also, Nineteen Eighty-Four? George Orwell fan, I take it?"

"Yeah," said Tatiana, smiling, and without further ado, bade farewell, and with Scott walking alongside, left into the next room.

"You think it's wise? Letting them write something down on their hands?" Lupin asked as they left, watching Scott and Tatiana both hold hands as they did so. "They could write down something more."

"I know," said Harry. "But maybe, even if they do, your ancestor had a point. We've been in the shadows for too long. I actually wouldn't mind it if everything came crashing down."

"It could be dangerous. Who knows what would happen. War?"

"I like to think that people would give peace a chance," said Harry. "But… I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Either way, I think that's enough excitement for one day," said Lupin. "It would appear we will have to go without knowing what Solomon's creations would have done had we allowed them to keep mimicking us."

"I guess that's a good thing, at least," said Harry watching through the doorway at the three students and the Professor chatting amongst each other as though nothing had happened. "The muggle mind and its ability to forget even the simplest of magical things… it's extraordinary."

"I know," said Lupin. "But I suppose we should return to Hogwarts soon. You have a date with your parents, do you not?"

"Ugh," Harry said. "Thanks for reminding me, I guess. Bollocks. I'm going to be late."

"Well, I can always reinforce your story that you got attacked by my mad scientist ancestor," said Lupin. "At least I like to think that the gene has lost in the family as it has been passed down. From what I knew of him, Gregory Wren was actually really rather pleasant." 

"Hold on," Harry said, remembering something that Tatiana had just said. "When we go back to the castle, can you tell my parents that I'm just on my way down? I need to check something in Ravenclaw Tower, first…"

"Of course," said Lupin. "I will inform them." 

A nagging thought had entered Harry's mind as he made it back to Hogwarts using the floo in quick succession, running through the secret pathways to Ravenclaw Tower. The Riddle was a fairly straightforward one which he guessed easily and raced up the steps towards his room, past a surprised Roger Davis was lounging on the sofa with his friends, and up into his room where he'd stored his presents. Searching through them Harry withdrew Roland Dufrense's _The Many Myths and Legends of Muggle History (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Muggles),_ and flicked through the pages to the contents. He quickly saw _Arthurian Legend,_ and opened it to a page where someone had already written a question mark in quill ink over it. Harry's eyes widened as he took in the picture and read the description below, a dawning expression of realisation on his face suddenly as he put all the pieces together. The Cult. The nameless leader. The brainwashing. The book. Everything he knew about Arthurian Legend – the wizarding version, anyhow, which was slightly different to that of the muggle one - came flooding back over him in an instant as he knew, really knew, for the first time, what he was up against.

He was about to face one of the most infamous wizards in all of known and recorded history, one of the darkest wizards ever, someone who could stand tow to tow with both the likes of King Arthur and Merlin, and in some cases, emerge victorious. He was looking at someone with a chequered history that put even Voldemort's cruelties to shame, and surpassed that of Grindelwald's, a smooth-talking man that could convert anyone to his cause just by saying the right words. Everything he had read about Mordred had chilled him to the core, but he had always lived with the feeling and comfort that had come from deep down, beneath everything else, knowing that he had just faded into a part of legend, and was no longer a threat, having not been around for centuries.

But for whatever reason, regardless of the consequences that might transpire from his return, there was one thing that stood clear above all else, one confirmed truth that caused Harry's hair to stand up on end at the mere mention of his name, something that could install fear into the hearts of Dragons, White Ladies and Centaurs alike, garnering a reputation as The Greatest Evil that ever lived amongst all three, and it was a truth that caused him to lose any hope that he had of making it past the end of the year, even with his skillsets, even with the Spear of Destiny as something that he could realistically easily acquire if he wanted, even with Dumbledore, Lupin and the three other Triwizard champions all willing to help his cause.

Mordred was alive.

And with that knowledge now gripping him, he knew that the wizarding world would never be the same again.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

And so that ends the arc concerning the OCs. I don't have any further plans for them at this point, this went on a bit longer than intended because the idea of a mad scientist trying to combine muggle technology with magic and going insane because of it kind of struck with me and was too fun not to explore. The telescope/observatory was a nice homage as well to one of my favourite Doctor Who episodes, Tooth and Claw, and obviously, the salt usage is borrowed largely from Supernatural.

Next chapter we'll get the Potter family reunion. Expect more Arthurian Legend to play a part in this story, I'll be slowly working more of it in as we go along. This story will have around 35-40 chapters and has a definitive ending at the moment already planned, so I know where I'm going with this, but I am just as likely to change further down the line.

Fanfic Rec of the day, featuring an alternate Girl-Who-Lived story, is the promising The Wizardling Ascension I by Quoba. I can definitely recommend it, even if it's currently only 4 chapters in but has been updated fairly recently which is good.

As always, would love reviews/feedback, whether positive or negative.


	22. Remember You

**Have you Ever Seen The Rain?**

 **Chapter Twenty-Two: Remember You**

 **I.**

"Calm down, for the final time, Harry, please," said Harper. "Jesus Christ, you look like we're taking you to meet You Know Who for the first time."

"On second thoughts, I think I'd prefer meeting Voldemort, actually," Harry said as they walked down the corridor towards the private room that the Potters had adopted for their family meeting in Hogwarts, where James and Lily had been staying when their duty took them too late in the evening to return home. "I've always wanted to know where teachers sleep. Like do they still sleep similar situations to us belonging to their different houses, or do they get their own rooms? I guess this is as close as possible to what I'm going to get to find out."

"Hey, Potter," Roger Davis said, waving in his direction, on his way back up from a late breakfast. Harry waved back. Then, a thought struck him suddenly.

"Hey, Davis. You don't happen to have any muggles in your family, do you?"

"Sorry, no. Why?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just reminded of a muggle who I knew with the surname Davis," said Harry, referring to Tatiana, wondering if that could have been a way to sneak around the Statue of Secrecy and re-introduce her to the magical world, and by extension, Scott. "Never mind."

"What was that about?" Harper asked once they made their way down the corridor, away from Roger. "You know the Davis family's about as pureblood as they come, right?"

"Yeah," said Harry, and began rubbing his left cheek. "Maybe just a coincidence that they share the same surname. Anyway. Let's get this over with."

"What are you doing?" Harper couldn't help but ask again. "The cheek thing?"

"Oh, I'm just getting it ready for when Dad hits me," said Harry. "Which one do you think he'll go for? Left or right?"

"I wish you wouldn't be so negative," said Harper, scowling at him. "You two are going to get along."

"Hey… wait a second," said Harry as he approached the seventh floor corridor, vaguely recognising where they were heading. "Why are you taking me up here? I thought the meeting was downstairs."

Harper turned around and suddenly, hit Harry on the cheek. It was with surprising strength, enough to knock him out, especially when combined with the stunner. Fading away into unconsciousness, Harry couldn't help but wonder what was in store this time, and at the same time, couldn't help but think; " _Not again,_ " just before he blacked out.

 **II.**

He awoke in what looked like his old bedroom before the influx of muggle designs had covered it. There was magical equipment everywhere, a poster dedicated to his favourite Quidditch team, and several moving pictures of him with his parents. Pictures that he remembered throwing away and burning in a fit of rage, throwing them against the wall. He tried to move through the handcuffs but couldn't, stretching against their grasp. He looked across at James, who was bound in a similar position, and Harry realised instantly what Harper had done. "Oh no," Harry said. "Oh _no._ Surely not."

"What are you doing here? I thought I was going to have dinner with my family," protested James. "Instead. You're spoiling the moment, as usual. There's a reason why I didn't attend your first task, you'd simply just screw it up. Like you always do. I need to go now."

"I'm afraid that won't happen," said Harry, realising what Harper had gotten him into. "We're here… until we can figure out our problems. Our differences. Dobby?"

Dobby appeared in front of Harry. "What does Master Potter want?"

"Excuse me, but he has no right to use that surname anymore!"

"Actually he does," said Harry. "Sirius Black still uses his even though he's disowned. Besides. Would you rather I go with Gryffindor instead, just to piss you off?"

"Fine…" said James. "Use the name. Now. Dobby. You can get us out of here, right?"

"I'm afraid not, older master Potter," said Dobby. "I am under orders, sirs. Dobby likes being given orders, and he intends to keep them. I will not remove you from your location until you have… what was it? Sorted out your differences."

"I am not doing this," said James. "Where is my wand? I demand to have my wand."

He tried apparating away, even without his wand, but couldn't move past the handcuffs. Fustrated, he was resorted to kicking the furiniture multiple times, not holding anything back on his temper. Eventually, James finally spoke. "Okay. _Fine._ I see how they're going to do this. It won't work. I can just stay silent for however long they keep us here. This is the room of requirement, right? I recognise it. I can wish for anything. Give me food."

Nothing happened, causing James to act even more annoyed. "Damn. I was hoping that would work."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "And what's so funny?" James turned on him. "Don't think this is going to get you out of being disowned. You're still disowned, regardless of what happens."

"Sorry," said Harry. "It's just that I've realised something. You remind me of me when I used to get angry."

James scowled. "Well I would certainly hope so. You still after all, are my son."

"Now we're getting somewhere," said Harry, the first time he had heard this confirmation from James in years. Usually he had just not acknowledged him around the room. "You know how many times you've called me that since Voldemort attacked?"

"No. I would imagine it was lots of times."

"Four," said Harry. "I counted. Imagine being told by your father growing up four times that I'm your son."

"I would have hoped that you're smart enough to work out that I'm your son despite being called it."

"Didn't stop you from calling Sam my boy a good thousand times, did it?" said Harry. "Sorry, I lost count on the exact number."

"Is this what this is about then? You're bitter that I prefer him to you?"

"Not exactly. Believe it or not, I can understand why. You got caught up in all the fame and the money that came with being parents to the Boy Who Lived. What was it, The Daily Prophet's Person of the Year five years in a row? Lockhart was getting jealous, I'm surprised he didn't try to wipe your memories and claim us as his own son."

James couldn't help but chuckle at this. "I should have known something was wrong with Lockhart, from Day One. I had a feeling, in the bookshop when we first met."

"I mean, you didn't exactly raise me well, but I guess there are always worse people out there. Imagine being raised by the _Malfoys_ ," said Harry with a scowl. "At least you guys actually shrugged when I started listening to muggle music and watching muggle films. They would have probably burnt everything I owned and locked me in a cupboard. Oh. And what was it again… Mum's sister? The Dursleys?"

"We did actually have an idea to send you to them," admitted James, sighing. "I can't believe I'm telling you this. But we did in the end decide to keep you. We thought we could manage the fame and our three children. Obviously… obviously not."

Harry looked at his father, confused by what he had just said. Did Harry actually hear that right? Had he apologised? Or was it just an admission. Either way, it wouldn't make up for the lifetime of hurt. "So, thanks, I guess," said Harry. "You gave me a home to live in and the freedom to explore my own tastes. I should be grateful for that."

"Damn right you should be," said James, jokingly. This must have been the James that Black and Lupin always used to talk about, the fun, carefree James Potter, before parenting and the stress of managing an elite Auror team caught up with him. Before the fame had consumed him. "You're not… you're not actually that bad yourself, kid. Maybe I was a bit too harsh on you."

As James said that word, food began to appear on the table in front of them. He took some of the food, greedily, and began to eat it whilst Harry watched his father. Seeing the look that Harry showed him, James realised what he was doing, and stopped, turning to offer Harry some food. "Sorry."

Harry couldn't believe it. It had taken under thirty minutes inside the Room of Requirement and already James Potter had done the unthinkable, changing his mind, actually wanting to connect with his son. He had to make sure, though, and added, "You're not just doing this to get out of here, are you?"

"Do you not trust your old man?" James said, flexing his left hand through the handcuffs. After a moment, he realised what he had just said, and couldn't help but laugh again. "Alright. I can see why I don't exactly deserve your trust. Here. Want some food?"

"Sure," said Harry, taking a bite. "This is actually pretty good. House Elves?"

"I guess so. I remember using this room when I was younger. We can't get food in here, it's one of its flaws," explained James. "But other than that it is pretty much perfect. This room can be anything you want it to be. I wonder if it still works or it's been overridden. Show me your room, as it looks like now."

Harry did his best to think of the room, and the bedroom transformed, losing all the family pictures, which became slowly replaced by DVD shelves, Vinyls and a Vinyl Player in the corner of the room with some headphones. A small makeshift television stood at the end of his bed, nothing too special, and the wall was surrounded by posters of various films. Around the room there was various marks on the wall. "Interesting," mused James. "It's been far too long since I walked into your room. All of this is muggle stuff?"

"Yeah," said Harry, pointing to a poster on the wall. "That there? _To Live and Die in L.A._ poster. A great action movie, it's got awesome chase sequences. It's literally pure '80s crime."

"I'm going to pretend I know what you're talking about. But the poster does look pretty good," admitted James. "What's this about muggle music? I must say, I have admittedly only heard very few songs in my life from muggles. Most recently, this year… when Sam played some rather loud music to distract a dragon. I assume it's not all like that?"

"It' not, actually," said Harry. "That's just The Beastie Boys. There's different genres, rock, pop, hip-hop, soul, all muggle stuff. Different bands, artists, loads of them. You've got The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Smiths, The Clash. That's just the big names. There's tones of others. As much as I like them, The Beastie Boys is quite possibly one of the worst ways to be introduced to music for the first time."

"Okay… so what is?"

"Well, I don't know what you'd like… but you're my dad, so I'd presume our tastes are fairly similar," said Harry, who stopped for a minute and smiled. James gave him a look, causing him to elaborate. "Oh. It's nothing normally… it's just that this happens the other way around, most of the time. Usually it's Dads introducing stuff to Sons."

"Well, I think that bridge has kind of passed," said James. "For what it's worth I'm sorry. I really mean it. I don't know, I struggled with fame. I thought I could manage both. Be a kind father. But that night… something changed me. I realise now."

And then James Potter started crying. If Harry wasn't witnessing it right now he wouldn't have believed it. "Merlin's Beard, what have I done?" James said. "I've been a terrible father."

Harry was about as stunned by the fact that James was admitting this as James was by the fact that he viewed himself as a terrible father. He couldn't help but offer a comment at this, watching the tears of regret stream down James face, "Hey. You got two out of three right. That's 75%. Not bad."

"How can you joke at a time like this?" James said, glancing at him. "This humour. I know where it's from, I used to have it. I still have it. But, now?"

"Well, I tend to prepare for the worst and anything positive that happens is a bonus," said Harry. "So, this… is far more than I ever could have expected."

"Well what happens now?" James asked, glancing around the room. "Do we keep talking?"

"I think we do."

"So… what did you get for Christmas this year? I realise I haven't gotten you a gift…" said James. "I should probably remedy that. But I don't know what to get you. Merlin's Beard. What kind of father am I?"

"Yeah, you've already said that," said Harry. "And honestly? It's no big deal. This is pretty much a gift for me."

"You deserve much more," said James. "So much more. I feel like I should buy you multiple presents this year, to make up for all of the previous years."

The handcuffs on James' arm slid loose. He had the option to be able to climb to his feet, but remained sitting down, opposite Harry, who too, found himself sitting down. "So that worked, I guess," Harry was the first to speak. "What happens now?"

"Well," James said. "Do you want to come to Christmas dinner with us?"

"Sure," said Harry. "I'd love to. Oh. Is it okay if Professor Lupin comes as well? We're on good terms and I'd hate to see him miss out."

"I guess we can attempt to repair that bridge of friendship as well," agreed James, climbing to his feet. "Okay… Let's do this."

"Wait," said Harry. "There's something I've always wanted to do. But I've never had a dad willing to do it with me."

"Yeah… sorry about that," said James, scratching the back of his neck, awkwardly. "What did you have in mind?"

 **III.**

The room down the seventh floor corridor that wasn't quite the Room of Requirement was currently occupied by both Sam and Harper, who had managed to configure the Room to their own designs before fooling both James and Harry. "Okay…" said Harper, taking a speaker from the room. "We should have a sign when their handcuffs go off. I've tapped into the speaker to configure with the one in Harry's bedroom."

"Do you think they'll actually do it?" said Sam, raising an eyebrow. "I find it hard to believe they would."

"Hey, come on, it's Christmas," said Harper. "If Harry's movies have taught me anything, it's that miracles can happen on Christmas Day."

"Well, we're here, aren't we?" said a voice from behind Harper, and Sirius Black walked into the room with her mother, Lily, in tow. It was she who had spoken, and Harry could tell that tears had been falling rapidly from her eyes. She'd been crying. Sirius had looked angry too, and Harper realised what it was. What they had been mad about. It was like some sort of curse had been broken, like something had been triggered that made them remember. Remember how much they used to care for Harry James Potter, how much they used to love him.

"Better late than never," said Sam, almost harshly. "I mean, I can't exactly talk myself… but it almost feels like a switch in my head just went off. Did you get that feeling yourself?"

"Yes. If I wasn't certain that I haven't been cursed, I would almost say that I _had_ been cursed to forget him," said Lily. "I feel so terrible. I just let everything that I stood for fall to pieces all for five minutes of fame. I promised I would never become like my sister when I saw how spoiled her son became… But the truth is, I became even worse."

"Hey, Mum," said Harper, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Relax. We're not perfect. We all make mistakes."

"But forgetting to raise one of my own children? For abandoning him, pushing him out of the family?" Lily said. "I deserve to be punished for this. Locked in Azkaban."

"That's one way of looking at it," said Sam. "Although, alternatively, we could look at it another way. A new beginning. A new start. Harry and James will walk out that door different people. Maybe we can help convince them."

"Walk out that door? Didn't you lock it?"

"Oh Jesus Christ, I did," realised Harper, earning a frown from Sirius, who didn't recognise the expression. "Oh. We might have to let them out manually."

"How does that work? Does the Room of Requirement even have a key?"

"It does if you need one," said Sam, smiling, as a loud sound suddenly emitted from the speaker. "Wow. That was actually quicker than expected. Do you think we should go and find out if they've changed?"

"Well, it's either that or it's flashing because they've just killed each other," commented Harper. Lily glared at her, and Harper added sheepishly, "I probably should have configured it to alert with different sounds or colours on the flashing lights. Red for death, blue for okay, that sort of thing. Instead of that, it's just Green."

"Let's go and find out," said Sam, already at the door. He lead the way, somewhat anxiously. "What if this hasn't worked?"

"Well, there's no way it wouldn't if they were freed," said Harper. "I got Dobby to help out, so unless he's done something stupid…"

"You're putting all your faith in a House Elf that is so mad he actually asks for clothes?" Sirius said, clearing his throat. "Oh wow. In that case, it'll be a miracle if they're not dead. Should I alert Madam Pomfrey to bring up the bodybags?"

"We'll be fine," said Harper. "Dobby isn't actually that bad, you know. Hermione Granger hasn't invited you to her SPEW group yet, has she?"

"Not yet," said Sirius, almost choking at the words. "What does _SPEW_ stand for?"

"Something to do with the Society for the Protection of Elvish Welfare," shrugged Sam. "I forgot the whole thing. But if she hasn't asked you yet, she will… where's you badge, Harper?"

Harper noticed the badge that Sam was wearing. "Oh, in my pocket," she said. "I don't run into Hermione that much and I can normally hear her coming, she's normally talking to somebody like Tonks. So, I just put on the badge quickly and she doesn't seem to mind."

"Well that's good at least," said Sam, with a smile, as they approached the locked door. "Okay, do you have a key?"

"Right here," said Harper, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing the key. She attached it to the lock of the Room of Requirement and opened it, and was surprised that she was met with the sound of music. Specifically, The Zombies' _Remember You_ was playing loudly over the speakers. Harry's room had been transformed to something that looked like what Harper vaguely knew as a baseball pitch from Harry's descriptions of one from the movies, and both Harry and James were throwing a ball at each other in the distance, further down the field. Harper glanced at Sam, confused. "What is going on?"

"I don't know," commented Sam. "I think our plan worked better than I thought it would."

"Hey Sam, Harper," Harry said a few seconds later, running up to them. James followed suit, and hugged his wife, a look of renowned happiness on his face. "Was this your idea?"

"It was both of ours, yeah," said Sam. "We were getting fed up of Dad's attitude towards you and decided to do something about it. But we never expected anything like this."

"Well, it turns out," James said. "That I do actually realise that I'm wrong every once in a while."

Sirius was smiling. He had been a bit less sure on what side to take in the James/Harry feud, and had reluctantly, out of old habits than anything, fallen on the side of his oldest friend. "It's good to see you're finally talking sense, Prongs. I wish I could have been brave enough to talk you out of it earlier."

"I don't know," said James. "The Archives records still owe me a few favours. Theoretically, I could re-install Harry back to the family, but I'd have to wait until the new year when the names go out for new muggleborns with magical powers."

"So I've just not got to screw up before then," said Harry, smiling.

"Well, as long as you're not The Man in the Suit or a Death Eater," said James. "I don't think that should be a problem."

"Looks like there won't be a problem, then," lied Harry, knowing that all he had to do was keep his identity as a Man in the Suit secret for everything to pan out, which so far, had been a fairly easy task to accomplish. He couldn't actually believe this offer was happening, it was almost like he was in a dream and he half expected the faux Tom Riddle to appear from the shadows. But for whatever reason, Not-Tom had been rather quiet lately, which had Harry worried, but for now, he could do without the added distraction. It was almost like he was dealing with three years' worth of enemies – Voldemort, Not-Tom and Mordred all at once. He had planned to investigate Mordred as soon as possible now that he knew what he was up against, but for now, he was quite content to live in the moment.

"So, Harry," said Lily, after conversation between the Potters and Sirius had been underway for a while. "I know… it may be hard to forgive us immediately for what we've done to you. But I hope you can at least in some way you can re-join our family once more. And I would like to offer you to come to dinner with us, maybe? I understand if you have other plans and do not wish to attend."

"Thank you, honestly, this is all too much," said Harry. "I know we're not there just yet, back to how it used to be, I mean. But we're not there just yet. However… dinner. I'd like that. I think it's time to turn over a new page. This family, it's been toxic for far too long."

"You're right," agreed James. "That ends here. This afternoon."

 **IV.**

Viktor Krum had been doing some investigating of his own on Christmas morning, whilst most of Durmstrang was busy. He had noticed that one student had not attended the morning roll-call and quickly identified him as his friend Niklaus Rosicky, and had been fortunate to find him somewhere towards the dungeons of Hogwarts. Krum was using a makeshift Invisibility Cloak to keep himself hidden, and although obviously loud noises or human-revealing spells could detect his presence, he believed that he was well and truly capable of holding his own in a fight, and was skilled enough to remain unseen in order to prevent one. The Bulgarian student watched Rosicky approach two Knights in shining armour after heading down a corridor that seemingly looked like a dead end, only for him to tap a few stones in a precise order that Krum paid close attention to. Like Diagon Alley, the bricks pulled back to reveal a hidden passage, which he followed into the unknown, being sure to keep his wand at hand.

Instantly, Krum felt the hair on his neck stand on end. Everything in his body was telling him that it was wrong and he should turn away, look back in fear and run back to Durmstrang. But he was a Durmstrang student, and Durmstrang did not believe in the concept of Fear. Rosicky himself, the blonde-haired student who was always the joker of the group, resembled a paler, shadow face of his former self, as he made his way through the cavern which saw brick replaced by stone and rock, and the floor was now nothing but Earth. Krum wondered where in Hogwarts he was but the ceiling informed he was beneath a lake, and as he approached two goblets held in the air by pillars in the distance, he caught sight of a door unlike anything that he had ever seen before. The door commanded the presence in the room and demanded attention, and Krum wondered briefly if there was some sort of compulsion spell that made him look at it. The door itself was huge, rectangular shaped, and five times larger than that of any human, stretching to the ceiling and almost resembled a feat of modern architecture in itself, if it did not look impossibly old.

He remembered to stop himself before he got too close, just in case there was any spellwork up ahead that would alert him, and could only watch as Rosicky began to speak in his native language, something that Krum could understand well. "Master… the family. The curse has been broken. I'm sorry. There is nothing I could have done about it."

Krum was waiting for a response, but heard nothing. Instead, it was Rosicky who spoke again, as if he had been receiving the questions from an unknown source. "Yes master, I know we had planned to bring him to you by now, but complications have arisen. It is Christmas. The school is protected and a large part of our recruits have gone home to their families to maintain their cover. We are under strength. He is strong, and talented."

Krum's eyes widened. Who were they talking about? Dumbledore? What sort of curse? He had no idea who Rosicky was referring to. It could be anyone. It could even be Krum himself, but his family had not travelled to him and he did not remember breaking any curses recently. Apart from the poison placed on him the previous evening, which he was still angry about. His thirst for revenge doubled, and he was so tempted to expose his cover, but something kept him hidden, a nagging feeling of fear, that was gripping at his heart.

"We have a good number left. Twenty, or so. And a Professor," said Rosicky. "And yes, we will soon have Plan B pushed into effect as well. Just as you requested. We just need the siblings. Is it time to extend the invitation?"

"Very well. Consider it done, My Lord. The agents will be activated."

And then, finally, Krum heard it, for the first time, a twisted voice coming from an unfamiliar source that terrified him to the bone. It caused him instantly to abandon any pretence of dignity that he had left and run as quickly as possible, away from the room that he never wanted to return to, not caring whether or not he was spotted, just wanting to get out of the cave. _"Light the Fire,_ " the voice spoke, and following the completion of the sentence, a shockwave echoed throughout the room, and Krum was, just before he reached the brick wall, caught in the blast, knocked over off his feet, helpless. He instantly scrambled for his wand which had fallen from his pocket as his cloak dropped to the floor, exposing his presence to the room.

' _Oh no',_ Krum thought, realising that there was no escape from the moment that he caught sight of the brick wall closing, just a few yards in front of him, sealing him off from his last sight of freedom. And what made things worse was that he instantly saw who had gained access to his wand, whose foot was standing on it, preventing him from reaching it. It was a member of the Hogwarts Staff, who he instantly recognised as being one of the more prominent members present in the school. Begging was an alien concept to him, but it was something that in this moment, he needed more than ever, "Professor. Help Me!"

"I'm afraid that will not be possible," said the cold, emotionless voice of the brainwashed Minerva McGonagall, who crushed Krum's wand under her left foot. "But do not worry. You are not the only Champion who has been defeated by a Servant of Mordred. Come, this way. My Master requires your services. And I would advise against any form of resistance, any move you would attempt to make has already been calculated and addressed. For lack of a better phase, we are as you might put it, ten steps ahead of you and your allies, and none of you are aware of the game that we are playing."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

So, we have two big things going on in this chapter in what is essentially the final part of what essentially the Calm before the Storm section of this fic. Next chapter we'll get into the main plotline more heavily, and with the revelation that McGonagall has been converted will no doubt have profound effects on the story to come. As will her last line, because remember… Krum is not the first Champion to have been defeated by Mordred. Make of that what you will.

Also, Potter family reunion. I was never planning on keeping the James/Harry hatred throughout the entire fic as I wanted to give James' character an arc that will be fun to explore going forward. More revelations about the curse, the identity of the siblings will come by the end of the story as well that should clear up why James and the rest of the family hated Harry so much. As much as the early chapters seem – this is not a bashing fic, so sorry to disappoint you. Redemption is possible.

As always, reviews and feedback are welcomed, and anyone who does leave comments with questions I'll try to get back to as soon as possible through PMs.

Fanfic Recommendation of the Chapter: Temporal Knight's _Like Grains of Sand in the Hourglass,_ which features a time-travelling Tonks and a Harry/Tonks pairing. Fairly new with 7 chapters to catch up on, it's pretty awesome and I can recommend it for sure.

Movie recommendation of the Chapter: Thought I'd throw these in every chapter in the future along with a fanfic recommendation just to make things more interesting. In this case, I'm picking the Hitchcockian 1965 drama _Bunny Lake is Missing,_ directed by the great Otto Preminger, a mystery drama revolving around a woman who arrives in London to live with her brother only to find out that her daughter has gone missing when she comes to collect her from a nursery school, and to make matters worse, there's no evidence of the daughter ever actually having attended that school at all. Has she gone missing? Does she even exist? It's a very good film that I can definitely recommend – and as a bonus, features a great soundtrack featuring The Zombies, including the titular _Remember You_ on the soundtrack.

There's also a slight usage of a good line from _Arrow_ Season 5 quoted in this chapter, which felt appropriate and was something that I wanted to include as a homage to how awesome the villain of that season is. Also, there's another homage to _Parks and Recreation_ in here as well, of all things. I think by the time the story's done, I'll provide a list of influences into how everything plays out as well as include a playlist of all the songs that I've used in the story for either chapter titles or as a part of the story itself…


	23. White Rabbit

**Have You Ever Seen The Rain?**

 **Chapter 23: White Rabbit**

 **I.**

Harry Potter's first family meal was a rather dull affair, if he was being honest. He was used to the high stakes combat that had taken place in the past twenty-four hours and it was rare that a slow moment happened for him, and actually, for the first time, he was getting used to it. He found himself relaxing for the first time and caring about his family. "Okay," Harry said, pulling a card out from behind his back towards Harper triumphantly, "It's an Ace of Hearts!"

Harper facepalmed. "Better luck next time. It's a five of Diamonds."

"What?" Harry couldn't help but pretend to look shocked, turning the card over. "No way. I could have sworn that it was an Ace of Hearts."

Across the table, Sirius Black was laughing, and produced the Ace of Hearts from behind his ear. "Sorry. We Marauders practically owned that trick. You're going to have to do better to fool a future Marauder in the making."

"Who says I want to be a Marauder?" Harper raised an eyebrow. "I'm gonna start my own organization. I'm going to be like Robin Hood, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor."

"So like a vigilante," James said, between mouthfuls. "You know, that position's already been taken."

"Yeah, but the Man in the Suit's been quiet lately," said Harper. "Nobody's heard of him in a while… Unless there's something you're not telling me?"

"We have one or two working leads," said James. "Sirius thinks it's someone at Hogwarts still but I'm not entirely convinced. It's someone at the Ministry… ah, Moony, about time you showed up."

"I got your invitation," said Lupin, smiling, warmly. "It's good to see that you've finally seen some sense, James."

"That's what I tried telling him," Sirius pointed out. "Ah, Remus. I'd like to apologise on behalf of the Marauders, and honorary members. Welcome back."

Lupin shook hands with Sirius and sat down next to Harry. "The House should be purged of any remaining irregularities with my ancestor. It will be free to enter now. Unless… you'd rather move back into your parents' home at the end of the year, if the offer's still on the table?"

Lupin glanced across at James, who realised that they were talking about Harry. "Of course, it is," said James. "The Room's exactly as you left it. We haven't touched anything. But if you feel like you need some space at the end of the year, it's perfectly understandable. From what I hear of The Wren House, it actually sounds rather exciting."

"It was actually pretty interesting," said Harry, and narrated a choice selection of the events that had taken place only this morning to his siblings and family.

"That sounds dangerous," Lily interrupted him. "Are you sure you're okay? I can perform a few spells on the House, check for any lingering Poltergeist presence, if you wish."

"It should be okay," said Harry. "But you're welcome to run it over if you want. It'll be good to have a different eye on the House."

"I'd love that," said Lily. "Thank you for the offer, Harry. Could I have the Potatoes, please?"

"Sure," said Harry, feeling odd at the affection shown by his mother. He glanced across at Lupin, and whispered once his parents were out of earshot, busy in a conversation about James' days as a Quidditch player, "This still feels weird. I'm half expecting them to reveal that it was all an elaborate con and I should be stupid for falling for it."

"Harry, just relax, take it easy," said Lupin. "You don't need to be so paranoid all your life. Take a look around. This is life. What you were missing out on all those years. If what you say about Mordred is true, we might not get much more of a chance to spend with people like this. Maybe it's a good idea to establish connection while there's time."

"Yeah, alright. So, try a bit harder in case the world comes to an end before I get another chance? That sort of thing?"

"It would appear so," said Lupin.

"Alright then. Let's give it a go."

 **II.**

The family dinner proceeded fairly solidly, without any further event. At the end Harry was rewarded with a gift card to multiple shops in Diagon Alley, with a moving picture of the shops that accepted it, something that had clearly been purchased at the last minute by James, but it was at least something, Harry's first gift in several years, and he eagerly took it as though it meant everything to him, embracing both his parents with a warm hug. Eventually recomposing himself, he made his way down the hallway, where he was surprised by a panicked Fleur, who was wearing a Christmas hat, and a cosy, thick woolly jumper that came in the colours of her school. "Harry!" Fleur said, panicking. "Something's wrong with Krum."

"What?"

"He didn't show up at the meeting we were supposed to have this morning to compare information," said Fleur. "I wanted to tell him that the whereabouts for Beauxbatons have been accounted for so he knew to be on alert for someone in Durmstrang, but despite letting me know that he'd make the meeting, he never showed. I think something's happened to him."

Harry grimaced. This was not the news that he needed right now. "So, something's happened. I don't know, is Krum reliable? Are you sure he's not just spending time with Hermione Granger?"

"I saw her in the main room on the way down here, she asked me if Krum was anywhere," said Fleur. "Apparently, he had cut short a date with her to go and see me, something that she wasn't too pleased about until I explained that it wasn't anything romantic."

"So he must have gone missing between the Great Hall and the… where were you meeting again?"

"Oh, the greenhouse," elaborated Fleur. "It's the closest building that was likeliest to not feature any occupants at the time of our meeting."

"The greenhouse. And is there anything between the greenhouse and the great hall where he could have gone missing in that time?"

"You're the Hogwarts student, you tell me."

"The dungeons!" said Harry, an alarm bell lighting up in his head. "The dungeons. The dungeons _of course_ it's the dungeons. There's a whole area behind the castle down there that's completely disconnected and that's different from the Chamber of Secrets. It must be where Krum's gone. Maybe he followed a Durmstrang student there?"

"Yes, that could be it," said Fleur. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Well, we trace back the steps and work out where he went missing, there's bound to be an eyewitness. I mean, Krum is Krum," said Harry. "But… when I say we, what I really mean is me."

"What? You don't expect me to just sit back here and do nothing."

"It's very important that you sit back here and do nothing," insisted Harry. "I'd love to have you along but the Cult already know that I'm looking for them. What they don't know is that you're looking for them as well, and we can use that to our advantage. I want to have at least one thing I can surprise them with." 

"Are you sure you can handle yourself?"

"I'll be fine," said Harry, smirking. "You know me."

"Oh, there's one more thing," Fleur said. "I.. um, may have told Granger that we're in a relationship."

"What?" Harry couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this, confused by what Fleur meant. Was she asking him or was it something more complicated? It was as it turned out, something more complicated.

"Well, the whole school saw Diggory kissing Cho Chang last night," said Fleur, "So I had to lie convincingly to Granger about why I wasn't going to see Krum for romantic reasons. And as it turns out the best way to convince her is to pick a boyfriend."

"And you told her I'm your boyfriend?"

"It's not as if she's a gossip," said Fleur. "And besides… I thought you wouldn't have any objections."

"I guess," Harry said with a shrug. "So, when's the marriage coming?"

Fleur chuckled at that comment, blushing slightly. "I wouldn't get so far ahead of yourself, Mr. Potter. I'll see you around. Good luck finding Krum."

Harry nodded, and headed off in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower.

"I thought the Dungeons were that way!" protested Fleur, gesturing in the other direction.

"I can't exactly go to fight a Cult and rescue Krum in a _Christmas_ jumper, can I?" Harry called back. "No… we're going with something more appropriate. It turns out the Cult all wear suits. I'm going to do my best to blend in."

"If you insist," Fleur said. "Just try not to get killed."

 **III.**

It turned out that when Harry had come back downstairs from Ravenclaw Tower and made his way towards the Dungeons, he saw Harper in a dress waiting for him. "Harper?" he said, looking confused at her. "Why the dress?"

"I was supposed to meet my friend here," said Harper, glancing down at the floor. "One of the Beauxbatons students, Gabrielle Delacour. I believe you know her sister?"

"I do. I didn't realise she had a sister."

"She's in my year," said Harper. "Apparently, she's going to take me to a secret project that she's been working on with some friends that sounds really interesting, but we've got to wear formal attire. Has she invited you, too?"

Harry realised what she meant, instantly. He was about to tell Harper that this was a very bad idea and she should not be trusted, realising with horror that somehow Gabrielle Delacour had been possessed right under the nose of Fleur, who was meant to be on the lookout for watchful threats like this, but the more pressing concern came with the fact that he needed to find Krum. And if Krum was truly missing it would be very bad news for the continued welfare and wellbeing of the schools indeed. He just had to ask the question… was he willing to put Harper at risk to do it?

"Not exactly," said Harry. "I was just walking. I saw a few people wearing suits and wondered if this was the start of a new trend. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah," said Harper, and Harry turned around, heading off into the distance. Once Harper glanced back down at the floor and her gaze was averted from Harry in favour of Gabrielle approaching from another corridor at the intersection that they had met, he was quickly able to duck out of sight behind a pillar and hide in an already open broom cupboard, being careful to close the door behind him. "Hi, Gabrielle!"

Gabrielle didn't speak much in the way of English but Harper had studied a translation spell, eager to impress her friend, to make it look as though they were speaking French. It was good that Harry had learned the language as well so was able to understand what they were saying, as Gabrielle seemed to act innocent, asking Harper if she was a hundred per cent sure and if she had told anyone. To her credit, Harper said no, she hadn't, and Harry wondered why she might not have mentioned him. The two instantly turned around and headed off down the corridor that he had chosen to hide and through the crack in the broom cupboard he could see that they had turned left at the end of the corridor that to the best of his knowledge, was a false turning that led to nowhere in particular aside from two knights in shining armour, which instantly gave him a warning. Instantly, he felt something in his pocket, a buzz, and realised what it was. It was Slytherin's map that was alerting him, and what made it more alarming was that there were three names on the map, rather than just the usual one.

HARPER POTTER

HARRY POTTER

VIKTOR KRUM

' _Okay… that definitely cannot be good',_ Harry thought, but if the map alerted him that meant that they were in danger. It was also the first time that he had seen his own name come on the map as well which alarmed him slightly, but at least he was confident in handling himself. Harper on the other hand, he had just allowed to willingly walk into danger.

Either way, he was going to have to do something about it.

 **IV.**

"Hey, Prongs," Sirius was alerted by James as the man was walking down the corridor. "I don't suppose you remember when we went exploring when we were in our first year? I know you said never to speak of it again, but… I was cleaning up some of your stuff and thought you might be interested."

"I thought we agreed not to speak of that place for a reason," James said. "I remember. I had nightmares for a month. It almost put me off exploring for _good_. Sirius, me. Back in my heyday. Are you trying to tell me it's still there?"

"It is," said Sirius. "I know you put away the Marauder's Map for a reason as well, but I couldn't help but look at it, you know, for old time's sake, and it turns out, you won't believe what I've just found."

"What's that?"

"It's probably best if you just look for yourself," said Sirius, showing the map, which he hadn't bothered to dispel the locations of, leaving everything already in place, to James. He unfolded the papers to reveal the dungeons and was instantly alarmed at what he saw, rubbing his glasses to make sure that he was seeing clearly. "I know, it's kind of hard to believe. But the map doesn't lie."

"That many students in one place that isn't the Great Hall on Christmas Day? Did they have a new secret meeting that I didn't know about?"

"Looks that way, doesn't it. Look, there's Viktor Krum. A bunch of Seventh Years from different houses, which is really, really odd. I mean, look, I know he's not a Seventh year but I'm fairly sure Nott's a pureblood. What's he doing talking to a muggleborn? He'd be caught dead in his own house if that got out, unless things have changed since our day."

"I think it might be worth taking a look," said James. "Because I just noticed something more important than a pureblood talking to a muggleborn."

"Merlin's Beard," a confused Sirius glanced at the map. "What's Harper and Harry doing there? And what's the red light around their names?"

"I made a slight adjustment to the map before I retired it, based off the legends of Slytherin's map," explained James. "It detects when people close to you are in danger. Look at the red around Harry and Harper. It means trouble, with a capital T."

"Should we get help?"

"There's no need to alert the staff yet, just in case my formula doesn't work. Tell you what, we'll get Tonks, and we'll go and check it out," said James. "Maybe we might get lucky… one of these people might be the Man in the Suit. Look. At least four of them fit the description."

"James! Sirius!" an alarmed, out of breath Tonks came running up to them. "Thank Merlin you're still here. I just came up from the dungeons. I saw a bunch of people people wearing a suit walk down a hallway and then vanish into thin air, like they'd just entered the Room of Requirement or something. I think one of them might be the Man in the Suit, he fits the alibi. I didn't get a clear look at him so I couldn't see his face though, he had his back turned. But it's definitely him. I'd be able to pick him out if I saw him from a line-up."

"Well in that case," said Sirius with a smile, pocketing the Marauder's Map. He smiled at James, glancing at the door in front of him. "Let's go catch ourselves a vigilante."

 **V.**

At a safe distance, Harry tailed Gabrielle and Harper, moving carefully behind various pillars and statues of knights. Thankfully there were no ghosts in the immediate vicinity to startle him, but it quickly became apparent that they were approaching a brick wall. The two knights that guarded it remained motionless from what he could see as he turned his gaze around to check whether or not he had missed something, and seconds later, Gabrielle and Harper had both vanished, leaving him at a brick wall again. "Okay… that's weird," Harry said to nobody in particular, approaching the wall and observing it. "So, is there some sort of secret passage? I have to say abracadabra and it'll open?"

" _Are you sure this is a good idea?"_ Lupin chimed in through the ear-pieces. Upon seeing that people, including himself had been able to bypass the ban on technology being used in Hogwarts by adapting it to work with magic by asking for tech that worked with magic in the Room of Requirement, Harry had managed to retrofit his ear-pieces so he could communicate with The Professor when he wanted to. " _You don't know what you're getting into._ _It could be anything."_

"I let Harper go in there and didn't warn her. If I screw this up, it's on me," said Harry, glancing at the brick door. "So. Two knights and a brick door, they just vanished through them. What do I do?"

" _Two knights guarding a secret door. It can't be,_ " said Remus. " _I haven't seen that place in years, I've forgotten it even existed. When I was just getting to know James, Sirius and Peter, our very first night at Hogwarts we found how to get in. What we saw in there terrified us so bad that we practically erased it from our memories until this point. The only time I've seen James look so afraid is when he was told that Voldemort attacked the house with you and Sam still inside."_

"Well, that bodes well," said Harry, maintaining a false sense of security. "I don't suppose you know how to get in, do you?"

" _As it happens, I do. I was tormented in dreams for a good few years after,_ " said Remus. " _About the door behind the wall. I often dreamed of going back, trying to find my way in, opening up the door… I never did find out what's inside."_

 _"_ The question is… what's inside?"

" _It has to be Mordred,"_ Lupin said. " _That's why he's brainwashing. It must be. Something happened to make him trapped there, beneath Hogwarts. But how does Durmstrang fit in?"_

 _"_ We'll worry about that later," said Harry. "Right now, a way in would be nice."

" _Very well_ ," said Lupin. _"There are three bricks that you need to touch. One marked in faded white, red and grey, in that order, and then in red, white and grey._ "

Harry squinted closely. The marks had faded since Lupin's time at Hogwarts but they were still there, and without further ado, he pressed them. For a moment, nothing happened, forcing him to wonder, "Did it work?" aloud.

" _Give it a second…"_

The door opened, revealing a cold, dark interior that stretched increasingly down, with two passageways leading off, one to the left and the other to the right, and up to higher ground. "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here…" Harry commented, and decided to enter, taking the high route in order to give him a better look from above at what was beneath him. Casting a ' _notice me not'_ charm on himself, Harry made his way forward, ever watchful for traps, and eventually made to the end of the path, which was a ragged outcrop on the floor below. Here, he could see two goblets, hold aloft by small pillars in the distance, and then the door that Remus was talking about in the background, a towering presence that stretched to the ceiling, impossibly high and impossibly technological for a school so steeped in tradition. "That's impossible," he couldn't help but say. "That's literally impossible."

" _I know,_ " said Lupin, as Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck rising up. " _Be careful._ "

Harry approached the edge of the outcrop which gave him a full look through the gaps in the stone at the meeting place below, where several students, wearing suits and dresses, surrounded the two goblets, but interestingly, nobody was on the other side. He could just make out Harper and three other students, all younger years, being blindfolded by their superiors. Suddenly, a loud coughing sound could be heard from behind him, startling him. Harry turned around in surprise, instantly drawing for his wand – only to find Krum behind him. "Viktor?" He couldn't help but use his first name in shock as to what had happened to him. Krum had literally become one with the stone, having been pushed into the side to act as a support. He hadn't quite vanished completely, his face was still relatively unscrambled, but it was clear that the Triwizard Champion was in distinct, agonising pain. "Are you alright?"

"What are you doing here?" Krum whispered, in Romanian. "It's not safe." 

Harry cast a translator spell and responded, "I'm here to rescue you, and my sister." 

"They have a teacher," said Krum, his voice hoarse. "They have… a teacher and a champion. Not me."

"Do you know their names?"

"The teacher stopped me," Krum said. "I followed Rosicky. He was talking to that thing. The Door."

"Did you see what was behind it?"

"No. I didn't hear what the door was saying. It said something about a curse, a family, a sibling," said Krum. "But I didn't know what they're talking about. Can you get me out of here? Please can you get me out of here?"

"I should be able to," said Harry, preparing to cast a brief spell.

" _If you cast what I think you're going to cast, there's no way they won't here,_ " Remus said. " _Are you sure you're ready for what comes next?"_

"Listen. In this moment, it's probably not the best idea," said Harry, talking to Lupin. "But the question you must ask yourself is… do we want to leave Krum here? We can't. It's simple. I'm not leaving him. I'll save Krum, save my sister, shut this whole thing down. I can do it."

" _There must be at least twenty of them down there. And I know you're good… but one against twenty? It's suicide_. _Harry. Let me help. Wait for me to get down there!_ "

"There's no time," insisted Harry, glancing down at the ritual that was about to take place. "They're about to convert my sister and three others. I won't let them take anymore people."

" _Fine! Do it! Get yourself killed,_ " Lupin said. " _Just… stay alive long enough for me to get there._ "

Harry stepped back. "Okay, Viktor… this might hurt. Do you have your wand?"

"It's right there," Krum said, doing his best to gesture to the section where it was suspended in the stone. "She put it there to taunt me."

"Who's she, Viktor?"

"I don't know. I think she wiped my memory of her identity…"

"Well in that case," said Harry. "Do you think you'll be able to fight after this?"

"Of course," Krum said. "I want these bastards to pay."

"No killing," warned Harry. "We don't want more blood on our hands, and there might be a way to reverse them. They're possessed, remember."

"I know that," Krum said. "Whatever made you think I wanted to kill them?" 

"Just… try to keep up," Harry said, casting the _Bombarda_ spell on the ground around him. Instantly it shook, breaking apart, having not been very stable in the first place, and began crashing down, Harry bringing Krum lose as he did so. They fell with the foundations, Harry casting a quick shielding charm to make sure that they were both unscathed. Krum grasped his own wand as it fell too, and they eventually landed at the bottom of the floor unhurt, but surrounded, by twenty brainwashed students, who in unison, forgot about Harper and the new recruits and turned on the interlopers. "Maybe I should have picked a better day to go rock climbing?" Harry couldn't help but ask, and immediately was forced to dodge a stunner, returning one in kind. The Battle was soon underway and it wasn't long before both Harry and Krum found themselves back to back, working together as one. Their spells were quickly thinning the number and some of the students were actually turning and running, giving Harry and Krum the momentum that they needed to push through towards Harper. Untying her blindfold, Harry intervened, "Sorry, Harper! I know you wanted to join this creepy cult because of your friend, but it's actually evil and you would just be a brainwashed servant of Mordred. Would love to explain more, but we're kind of busy right now."

Harper was just as confused as the other students, who had been expecting some kind of secret club, but nothing like this. Instantly she was alert to the situation, and said, "Okay… Um, well in that case, you owe me a secret club," said Harper, casting a spell at Gabrielle who returned one in kind. "How are you so good at duelling?"

"I practise."

"Oh my god," Harper realised, something. "You're the Man in the Suit, aren't you?" 

"What? No! That's ridiculous," Harry said. "Look around. Everyone's wearing a suit. I just wanted to blend in. Like I said, I thought it was the trend."

"We'll talk about this later," said Harper, as Harry agreed with her. More students were arriving now and they were pushed back, slowly, towards another entrance and a weak bit of the wall that linked with another part of Hogwarts. "Reckon we can get through this wall?"

"My _Bombarda_ had a bit more effect than I thought it would," said Harry, glancing up at the wreckage that he had just come from. "So be careful when you cast it. You might want to stand back."

" _Bombarda_!" a loud voice could be heard suddenly from the other side of the wall, and within seconds, it disintegrated around them, revealing Fleur and Lupin on the other side, having arrived just in time to save the day. It was Fleur who had cast the spell, and instantly approached Harry. "I'd like to say sorry, but the truth is, I followed you here. There was no way I wasn't going to miss out on this, and by the looks of things, you could use help."

"So much for the element of surprise," said Harry. "Look, I need you two to get Harper, the students and Krum out of here. I've got one more thing to do."

"What's that?"

"Those goblets," said Harry. "They've got something to do with the Door. I want to take a closer look."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine. Most of them will follow you, anyway," insisted Harry, who didn't wait for an answer and instantly took off in the distance, submerging himself in the crowd of brainwashed students again. He made his way through the crowd towards the goblets, old and archaic, and was relieved to see that see that Lupin and Fleur had taken the initiative in taking the students away with Krum rather than follow him, and by this point, only three students remained with him, the rest having fallen away or retreated. "Okay, Mordred. Let's see what's up with you."

" _Harry, you need to get out of there now,_ " instructed Lupin. " _Now, now, now! We have a problem!"_

"What's wrong? I thought you got out okay. I told you, I'm fine!"

" _No you're not,"_ Lupin said. " _James, Sirius, Tonks, the Aurors, they're all coming your way… They've got both exists covered. You won't make it out in time. I'm not joking."_

 _"_ Well, damn," Harry realised suddenly. He tried calling Dobby or one of the House Elves, but whatever the reason, they couldn't answer. They just remained silent, leaving him alone, and no apparition was successful either, leaving him stranded. He'd been cocky, having thought he could get the best of Mordred and end it here and now, but in reality, had just led himself into a trap. "In that case, Professor, I'd like to say... thank you. For everything."

" _Harry!"_ Lupin called out, but got no answer other than the deactivation of the earpiece, which was thrown away just in time before the first Aurors arrived, leaving him with little choice but to surrender his wand and face the Door, knowing that he had come so close to potentially figuring out a way to stop Mordred for good, only to fall at the last hurdle.

 **VI.**

"Right through here," James instructed the rest of his Aurors, Tonks and Sirius among them. One of the ones that had already made it to the hall ran up to him as he approached. "What's happened. Who's still there?"

"Most of them are either escaped or stunned, sir, and you're right, but it was the Man in the Suit's doing," explained the Auror. "Oh, and you're not going to like this… sir. We think we've caught the Man in the Suit."

"Excellent," James' eyes lit up with excitement and anticipation, leading Tonks and Sirius forward into the room, doing his best to ignore the terrifying door in the background. "But… what's the catch?"

"It's best if you see for yourself," said the Auror. The four teens were faced largely with their backs to the Aurors, with both hands held above their heads. "You won't believe this…"

James' look of delight turned into one of shock as they turned around one by one, revealing among them. The names he recognised were slowly ticked off the suspects list, Bruce Rogers, Jeffrey Simmons and Anderson Mace, all of them in identical uniforms, but perhaps the biggest surprise of all was that the last one was his son, who had just, in the past twenty-four hours, spent reconciling with. His attempt at getting along with Harry hadn't even lasted a full evening, and just by this one act of madness alone, it might have cost him everything. "Well," James said, glancing at Tonks. "You were the one who saw him… which one is it?"

"I don't recognise him, Sir," Tonks said nervously, at the same time, glaring at Harry. Harry knew that Tonks knew he must have been the Man in the Suit, but why she didn't want to tell James remained a mystery. "Sorry… but I only saw his back and they all look fairly similar. He could be any of them."

"I guess we'll have to take them all in," sighed James, glancing at Harry with a look of disproval. "I don't know what you were doing here, but please. For the family's sake… you've better have a good reason for this."

Harry grimaced. One thing was certain, it was going to be a long night. And to make matters worse, he remembered that Salazar Slytherin's map was still in his pocket. One thing looked increasingly certain that in this moment, the odds were severely stacked against him, and he needed a miracle to get out of this one without ending up in Azkaban.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

This chapter probably has the most direct influence from _Person of Interest_ that I've used so far. The titular theme song for this chapter is Jefferson Airplane's _White Rabbit._

Film Recommendation of the Chapter: _Frances Ha,_ a brilliant modern comedy in black and white from the genius that is Noah Baumbach. The scene with David Bowie's _Modern Love_ is one of my all-time favourites.

Fanfic Recommendation of the Chapter: SuOmAlAiNeN92's _Traveller Among Wizards._ It's a Superman crossover that inserts Superman into the plot of the Deathly Hallows alongside several other Justice Leaguers and features all the epicness that you'd expect.


	24. Time Has Come Today

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Twenty-Four: Time Has Come Today**

 **I.**

The four captured students, still in their suits, were led by the Aurors down the corridors to a series of hushed whispers greeted by the unconverted students who stood ever watchful around them. Harry couldn't help but glance cautiously over at Tonks, wondering what was on her mind, and maybe try to make eye contact. He needed to know what to prepare for and he needed to know what to expect. They were taken away from the dungeons but not towards Dumbledore's office, like they were expecting. Instead they found themselves in an empty corridor, where they were hauled off into different rooms by the Aurors. Some of them had come largely unprepared and were still wearing their Christmas get-up, having been assembled in at such short notice. But this was James Potter's elite team, and although some of them looked like Father Christmas at the end of a long hard day's work, they were still the best in the business. Tonks moved over to Harry's hand and slipped something into it which he curled up as he was shoved down onto a desk by her, and thankfully, he was able to take a quick look at what it was when James went out of the room to discuss with Sirius. "Remus gave me this," said Tonks. "He trusts you. Therefore, I trust you. Please, everybody wants you to be innocent here. Don't let us down. I don't know what it does, but you might be able to contact him. We'll talk properly at the end of all this."

"Thanks," Harry had enough time to say after putting it in his ears, being sure to put a brush of hair over it to cover, thankful that he hadn't cut it recently. Both James and Sirius walked into the room, and Harry couldn't help but ask, "So is this kind of a Good Cop, Bad Cop thing?"

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions to attempt to confirm your alibis in previous events," explained James. "Unfortunately it's Christmas Day and most of the Ministry is at home so we won't be able to acquire the Truth Potion… but we do have access to the Ministry records so we can confirm your alibis the old fashioned way. If you have enough alibis for these events, then we'll let you go."

Harry realised that this looked bad for him. He didn't have any alibis because he was there at the various events that the Aurors had accused him of, and the evidence could not be tampered with from inside Hogwarts itself. "Okay…" Harry said, knowing it would look suspicious if he tried to hide something. "I'll be happy to co-operate. Fire away."

" _I am at the Ministry,_ " explained Lupin. _"I borrowed Dumbledore's time-turner, he believes you are of better use as The Man in the Suit to protect the school, giving me more time. I need you to come up with alibis that seem plausible, stuff that was covered in newspapers etc on the days of the event. I can read you the stuff and then edit it in before they access it through the database they have at Hogwarts. With luck, we'll be able to throw them off your tracks and put the blame on another student. Let's see… Anderson Mace. Criminal Records. Possible talk of an expulsion. Known Hogwarts Bully and reportedly a heir to Roger Davis' currently defunct enterprise. He could work. Just… buy me some time, okay?"_

"Alright," said James. "The first day. Where were you on the twenty second of May in the evening? We have footage of the Man in the Suit entering the Ministry and then at a muggle nightclub near the building. Were you present?"

"No, I wasn't," Harry said, pausing, waiting for Lupin to respond.

" _You were attending a house elf rights midnight parade in Hogsmeade,"_ Lupin cut in. Harry rolled his eyes knowing James would find this hard to believe, but if there was an eyewitness reporting his location at the premises, it would provide him an alibi. Harry repeated Lupin's address back to James, who raised an eyebrow at this comment but turned to Sirius.

"Check it. See if it fits."

Sirius had brought with him a box, which he scrawled down what Harry had just said on a piece of paper. He inserted the piece of paper into the box, and a few minutes later, that paper appeared in the box near Remus at the Ministry of Magic. Whilst Sirius and James waited around doing nothing Harry sat there fairly confident, waiting for a response, merely twiddling his thumbs. A few seconds later, Sirius opened the paper and read the letter. "Well, congratulations to you, I guess, Harry. That one passed," Sirius said, and then whispered to James, something that Harry barely caught. "…They can't _all_ have been at the parade, can they?"

"Well, someone has to," James said with a sigh.

"Wait, they were all in the same place as me?" Harry couldn't help but ask. "I didn't see the others at the event, if it helps."

"Well, none of the others saw you at the event," sighed James. "So somebody's lying. You'll be pleased to hear that whatever happens, we can't hold you for longer than twenty-four hours without proof. Hopefully we won't need that long to conclude that one of the others has done it. Maybe you can start by telling me why you were there?"

"I noticed," Harry said, "When I was walking around Hogwarts that a bunch of people had started wearing suits, so I decided to wear one of my own y'know, try and fit in. I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't actually have that many friends. So I was thinking maybe if I did that, people would like me more. And then naturally, when I hear about this super cool party from Harper… who am I to say no to gate-crashing?"

"The statue didn't scare you at all? The door?" James asked.

"I realised something was wrong as soon as I entered," said Harry. "It felt unnatural and I wanted to leave. But then one of them notices that I'm there, and he attacks me. I fire back at them."

"Wait, Harper was at this party?" James said, raising an eyebrow. "I saw her in a dress earlier."

"She told me that she changed her mind at the last minute, you can probably confirm that with Harper, she didn't go," said Harry. "I decided to go anyway, because why not?"

"Alright," said James. "We'll confirm that with Harper, and report back in ten to continue this conversation. Do you want any food or anything while we're gone?"

"I'll take some donuts please," requested Harry, and Sirius chuckled, following James at out of the room. A few minutes later, Tonks entered, closing the door behind them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tonks exclaimed once she was sure James and Sirius were out of earshot. "Are you mad? You could have gotten yourself _killed_ , Harry, I told you not to freaking lie to me."

"You know I'm the Man in the Suit? Why not tell James and Sirius?"

"Because," said Tonks. "Believe it or not, I care what happens to your family. Considering you've just repaired your relationship in the last twenty four hours, I'd hate to see it ruined because you decided to play the bloody hero! What were you thinking?"

"Krum went missing," said Harry.

"And it didn't occur for you to alert the Aurors? That's what we're there for!"

"And how was I supposed to let them know that Krum was missing when I was the reason why he was investigating the cult in the first place?"

"The cult? That's what they are?"

"They're brainwashed," explained Harry. "They kidnapped Viktor. They almost killed all of us last night, remember when we vanished from the Great Hall? That wasn't just a song, that was the Cult trying to kill us. They almost did, too, but Harper saved us."

"I knew something was up," said Tonks. "But how could you lie to me, Harry? I thought you were my friend."

"I am," said Harry. "Believe me, I still am. But come on. I wanted to help, and I couldn't as Harry Potter. I couldn't risk it becoming known that I was the Man in the Suit, too, otherwise the Death Eaters would come after my siblings. And I care about them."

"You think Death Eaters aren't trying to come after your siblings anyway?" Tonks said, accusingly. "One of them stopped You-Know-Who, for crying out loud! He's got a walking target on his back. Couldn't you at least… have told me?"

" _Harry, there's somebody else here. I think the Cult has people in the Ministry telling their allies what to say,_ " Lupin said over the earpiece. " _I need to stop them, make sure that their stories don't align. Can you… buy a little time_?"

"What's wrong?" Tonks asked, noticing that Harry didn't immediately respond to her.

"Lupin's in trouble. I need you to buy me some time. If I get off, I'll explain everything. I promise," said Harry. "But right now, I need you to trust me."

Tonks let out a short bark of sarcastic laughter at this. "Sure. Why not? What could possibly go wrong with trusting you."

"Oh come on, it's not like I ever let you down before this," said Harry. "Just… treat this as an anomaly. I'm not hiding any more secrets. I promise."

He hated having to lie to Tonks, especially with everything that was going on, but right now, the last thing he wanted was to lose her support. "Fine," said Tonks. "But in the future, if you ever put Harper in harm's way again and she gets hurt because of it, I'll kill you."

"I'd probably kill me first if that ever happened," said Harry. "Don't worry."

"Worry. All I do is _worry_ these days," said Tonks, scowling at Harry, but walked out of the room alone, leaving Harry with nothing but the silence. Nothing but the silence, and it appeared, the faux teenage Tom Riddle, who was sat in the corner of the room on a stool, looking over at Harry.

"Did you miss me?" he said, leaning forward. He was wearing a James Bond T-Shirt which felt odd to see Riddle in such muggle clothing, but then again, he had to remind himself, this was not Voldemort. This was somebody else. "Don't worry, they can't see me. I'm not really here. I'm just in your head. Or…. Am I? That's the whole thing, the statement of the hour, isn't it? I'm interested to know, it's been a while since we spoke. Got any theories yet? Remember, you still have two guesses. Which world's real. Which world's fake. Two for two. Feeling lucky?"

"I haven't had any dreams in a while," said Harry. He noticed that there was music playing in the background, classical, and he wondered whether it was all just in his head, or really playing in the background. "Is this one now?"

"Oh no, of course not, I'm not that cruel," said Riddle, ironically. "To build you up to your family and then tear you apart seconds later? Oh no, this was all your doing. You rushed in. Put your sister, _your sibling_ in danger so you could get a shot at taking down the big guy. What kind of hero does that? She's not even fifteen yet, for crying out loud!"

"Oh come on. You can't exactly talk to me about this," said Harry. "You took the form of a mass murdering psychopath."

"True. Or did I? Would you prefer I took this form?"

Riddle's form changed to resemble Jeff Tracy from the television show _Thunderbirds,_ a puppet dancing on strings. " _THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO,_ " Tracy couldn't help but laugh as he said the catch-phrase of Harry's favourite television show. "I remember when you were younger. You used to love this show. You Up there in your room, watching episodes of children's television, wondering if they would ever take you away from the nightmare that you lived in. I mean, I wouldn't blame you. Riddle killed his father to escape from the nightmare of his mother's creation. I lost a bet with a friend of mine when you didn't. I guess Potters are made of sterner stuff."

He changed out of the Jeff Tracy form, back into Riddle again. It was weird seeing a small puppet morph back into a human being, but no weirder than seeing him morph into a puppet in the first place. "I can be whoever I want to be. Whereas you are just stuck with yourself. I mean, to be fair… you've made the most out of it. Given it a good go. Became a vigilante. Tell me, are you more inspired by the X-Men or Batman? Who am I kidding, it's obviously Batman, isn't it? I mean, look at you. You're turning others into vigilantes to help your own cause. Krum wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't for you recruiting him. If you'd have just said that you'd done this yourself, warned Harper, then maybe, maybe, things could have turned out differently. But you're stupid! Stupid and _thick._ Oh, my god, I just want to punch you sometimes. But I can't… can I. See?"

Riddle advanced towards Harry who flinched as Riddle's hand phased through him, curled up in a ball, but the brother of the Boy Who Lived merely felt nothing more than what he would feel as if a ghost had passed through him. Riddle was now standing behind him in the chair. "I like how they've trusted you so much that they've left the door open," said Riddle. "You could run for it, you know. Become a proper vigilante like you've always wanted to be. Go pro. But then, you'd lose your magic, wouldn't you? You wouldn't be able to show up for the Triwizard Tournament and as a result, bye-bye magic. Because as much as you want to be a muggle, something can't help but keep you in this world. I personally would have seized this chance. To throw it all away and start a new life. Hmm. Maybe run from Prime Minister or something? Talk about a career change. And if not, the muggles idolise their vigilantes, don't they?"

"What was the point in coming here?" Harry said. "Just to brag?"

"Quite frankly, yes," Riddle said, with a smile. "Oh, and another warning, I guess. It won't be long now. You're going to find out three things about me. My name. What I am. And what my _plan_ is. To be honest, I'm surprised you don't already know by now. Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the music, a personal selection of mine. I hope you enjoyed the Wagner!"

He vanished from view as James and Sirius burst into the room again. "So it looks like Harper was able to confirm your story," said Sirius. "You must have a guardian angel. Okay, we're going to test your alibi. A few weeks later.. what were you doing on the night of September 1? We have reports that you weren't in your room from a House Elf."

"September 1?" Harry said, pausing, wondering if Lupin had time to come up with a story yet. He stalled for time, "Are you sure I didn't just go to the toilet?"

"Hah. Unlikely," said Sirius. "You were probably in the auction house yourself, weren't you? This is it, James, we've got him!"

"Wait, he might just be having time to think," James said, hopefully. "Come on kid, please say something that I can use. _Please._ The last thing I want to do is lock you away after all of this."

"Well…"

" _You were attending a muggle cinema,_ " said Lupin. " _Watching a late night screening of Natural Born Killers. The Daily Prophet run a rumour about it, wondering why Harry Potter wasn't at Hogwarts when he was supposed to._ "

"I was at the cinema," said Harry, and then elaborated, seeing the confused look on their faces. "A muggle cinema for movies."

"Can this be confirmed?"

"The Daily Prophet," said Harry. "They ran something about why I wasn't at Hogwarts when I was supposed to. And it's not just that night, I go to the cinema every other weekend, there's usually reports too."

At least, Harry hoped there was. "Check them," said James, to Sirius. However, before Sirius could confirm, one of James' Aurors entered the room, wearing a Father Christmas suit, having not had time to change out of his uniform.

"Sir! I've found something that isn't consistent with their stories," said the Auror. "Something doesn't add up with one Anderson Mace's. The rest of them check out, but Mace's is an anomaly. He wasn't where he said he'd be and hasn't got an eyewitness."

James breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin," he said.

"Alright," Sirius grinned, glancing down at Harry in the chair. "You might be free to go, kid."

"We're just going to let him go that easily?" the Auror said.

"Technically we're not supposed to be holding him in the first place without Ministry approval," said Sirius. "We're lucky that one of them slipped up on the job with his fake alibi. We've just done some research into his Hogwarts past, pulled up his file, and his bullying fits the type that we'd expect from the Man in the Suit. Raiding illegal bars, helping Death Eaters escape Azkaban custody…"

' _Helping!'_ Harry did his best not to look offended, doing his best not to voice his objections, merely thinking them. ' _Did you not see me trying to fight Lestrange_?'

"So, all you'll have to do is wait here," instructed James. "I'll be right outside your door if you need me."

"Thanks," Harry said. "When do I go free?"

"As soon as we get a confession from Mace," said Sirius, punching the air in delight. "We've _finally_ got the bastard! I can't believe it James. Talk about good luck."

Harry wanted to point out that they were going after the wrong person and they should be investigating the Cult, but right now, in this moment, he'd take what he could get. He could investigate the Cult later, once the Aurors left Hogwarts, giving him more freedom to operate. He sat there and waited, and as they left the room. Harper pushed her way in, suddenly, and said, "Dad told me you're getting off, so I thought I'd come to say thanks for saving my life. I shouldn't have gone in the first place, I knew something was wrong. It was my own fault."

"Hey, you're still young," pointed out Harry. "You're going to make mistakes. You know that wasn't Gabrielle Delacour you were talking too, right?"

"I had that figured out the moment she knocked me unconscious," explained Harper. "Jesus Christ. Could I have ended up like her?"

"I guess," Harry said. "I don't know what they were using you for. Do you think the Aurors will stick around to investigate the Cult?"

"They just think it was a party that got out of control," said Harper. "It's my word against seven or eight witnesses from different Houses and they don't buy into the whole brainwashing theory, so they're going to leave it at that. Dammit. I wish we could do something more useful."

"You know you're helping a lot," said Harry. "Without you I'd be screwed. Dad would be after me like an attack dog if he'd caught me yesterday."

"I guess," said Harper. "But you are the Man in the Suit really, right? They've got the wrong guy. Tonks looked mad as hell when I told her."

"Yeah," said Harry. "I am. Wow. And there's something else I'd like to add… I'm really thankful the Aurors don't have half of the technology that the muggles do. They can record what I'm saying even if they're not in the room."

"Wow. That's actually really useful," said Harper. "You're lucky they want you to get off, as well. Otherwise they'd have made it a hell of a lot harder."

"No kidding," said Harry. "So, where's Tonks?"

"Here," said a voice at the door. Tonks walked in, her hair black. She approached Harry, and scowled at him. "I've been ordered to let you go. Anderson Mace confessed to everything. Apparently, he's the Man in the Suit. Which is something you and I need to _seriously_ talk about later."

"We will," said Harry, who followed Tonks out of the room where Lily and Sam were waiting for him. Both Lily and Sam embraced Harry in a hug, the awkwardness of Lily hugging him soon became replaced by warmth. It was the first time he'd been hugged by his mother since the night that Voldemort attacked, and had almost forgotten what it had felt like.

"I'm so glad you're okay," said Lily, and Harry could tell that actually, for the first time in a long time, she meant it. She'd been crying, too. "Don't worry, you won't face any further charges. Your father did this off the books, as the muggles put it, so the arrest won't be on your permanent record."

Harry glanced over at the opened door as the two other students who weren't being accused as The Man in the Suit were released from their rooms. They both turned to look at Harry, meeting eye contact with him as if to say ' _This isn't over,_ ' before walking away in different directions. Harry wondered if he was the only one being creeped out by it. "So," said Sam, fairly awkwardly, finding something to break the silence, "Um, Happy Christmas, everyone."

"Mrs. Potter?" Tonks asked, raising an eyebrow at Lily. "Can I have a word with your son please?"

"It isn't Auror business, is it, Nymphadora? And how many times do I have to tell you, you can call me Lily. We're friends, after all."

Tonks said, "Of course it's not, don't worry. He'll be fine," and, not bothering to correct her first name being mentioned, all but dragged Harry away from his family.

" _Are you sure you want to go through with this? Add Tonks to the group? Her allegiance to the Aurors may complicate matters._ " Lupin said, over the earpiece.

"Don't worry, she's ready," said Harry, just out of earshot of Tonks, as she led him forwards, keeping his voice low. "And besides. Doesn't look as though I have much choice."

" _Well, in that case…"_ said Lupin. " _I'll be there shortly. I'm just finishing up at the Ministry._ "

They eventually found themselves overlooking the Hogwarts grounds standing underneath a clocktower, with snow falling outside, adding to what was already on the ground. It was now late evening on Christmas Day, and having been in a non-stop battle for his life for the past twenty-four hours, Harry could use any break from the chaos that he got. Sadly, as the clock struck midnight, he realised he wasn't going to get any soon.

"So, now that I know who you truly are," said Tonks. "Why don't you tell me what happened? Why you became the Man in the Suit. I want to know, don't lie to me. Tell me everything."

"I think that can be best explained by starting at the beginning," said a voice from behind Tonks, who spun around to find Lupin standing there in a fairly old brown suit, that looked like it had seen better days. He stood next to both Harry and Tonks, joining them in looking down at the grounds beneath them. "Wouldn't you say, Harry?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

And there we have it. Tonks is in the know. The Cult have deliberately set Anderson Mace up to take the fall for them, and we have Lupin and Tonks working together to clear Harry's name. The next chapter will explain a bit more about Harry's decision to become the Man in the Suit – maybe even a few flashbacks here and there including how Lupin became involved as well.

Film Recommendation: _The Man Who Fell To Earth,_ starring David Bowie. It's one of my favourite movies and I can definitely recommend it, especially if you're a Bowie fan. It's a pretty great sci-fi film.

Fanfic Recommendation: Consume's _Spectrum,_ a darkly twisted two-shot that sends Hermione Granger back in time to kill a young Tom Riddle before he becomes Voldemort. And she starts to like the killing.


	25. Absolute Beginners

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

Apologies if I've got the dates wrong in any of these chapters by the way regarding continuity, I recently fleshed out the timeline for the story so I'll be sticking to that from now on. Also, I know this chapter is filled with exposition and there are several shoutouts to other stuff like _Batman: Year One_ in here, but I thought it'd be a good idea to get everyone up to speed on what stuff was like before the events in Goblet of Fire kicked off, and felt like this was the best way to do it.

 **Chapter Twenty-Five: Absolute Beginners**

 **I.**

The moment that the Hat declared what house Harry Potter would attend at eleven years old in 1989 changed his life forever. The words still echoed in his mind, several years on. "You have a bright future ahead of you. You know when to use your strength, far more tactical than any Gryffindor. But too noble and self-sacrificing for Slytherin. And too individualistic for Hufflepuff. A keen learner, too. I know exactly where to put you… _RAVENCLAW_."

Harry initially welcomed the challenge. A chance to get away from Gryffindors and meet new people, become friends with those that weren't necessarily like his parents. He immediately regretted that choice on the first night, when a shouting match with Roger Davis forced him to leave the common room without even getting a chance to get acquainted with his new bed. He wouldn't get a chance to sit in his own bed until the third night, when he brought the subject matter up with Flitwick, who intervened. Flitwick made it clear that he could not show favouritism to students and as a result, never became too active in Harry's life from that moment onwards, despite the clear signs of bullying. He always subscribed to the mantra of letting the students sort their own personal problems out, but given the age difference between Harry and Roger as well as the support that Roger had on his side at the time, in his peak years, sorting out their own personal problems was never going to happen.

The positivises to this was that it allowed Harry to get an understanding of everything around Hogwarts by the third night. Whilst most of his classmates were struggling to get to their lessons, getting lost in the building, Harry on the other hand was there, always a few seconds before the previous class left. He had had to endure a Howler on his first morning from his parents about how he was not sorted into Gryffindor, causing a minor scandal in the _Daily Prophet,_ especially given that Harry was largely kept out of the press until this point, causing a few to even question whether or not he was a Potter at all. At least in the early years, he wished that he hadn't been. But part of him always came back to the family, the desire to be accepted. One day, he told himself, he would prove his parents wrong, and they would invite him back into the family with open arms. That was Harry's dream.

"You know, everyone around here thought that you'd be a Gryffindor," said Nearly Headless Nick on the second night, back when the ghosts were still talking to him. "I suppose you get that a lot, after all. You are a Potter."

"And here I thought I was going to last another day without being reminded of my family."

"Sorry," apologised Nick, meekly. "You know, just because you are in Ravenclaw, doesn't mean you can't go onto great things. I'm sure the Hat told you this, but I just wanted to remind you. Every year there is always at least one student destined for great things. You can be this year's."

"And do what? My family forget that I exist every other day of the week," said Harry. "Most of my classmates hate me. I can't even go to sleep without learning the detection spell to cast it first. This whole thing's a mess."

"It will get better," Nick said. "You can be better. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather the Gryffindors do well, of course, but I am not above helping another member of the school. You can do better than the divide between the houses, too. It has been around for far too long."

"So you're saying I should find a purpose?"

"Yes. Be whatever you want to be. A hero. A villain. A rogue. Their saviour. Or be none of it," said Nick. "Just _do_ something. Although, for Merlin's sake, I'd prefer it if you didn't become a villain. The world has enough of those already."

Harry took Nick's advice to heart on the second night. The third night, he decided to do something about the bullying problem at Hogwarts, and found the then Seventh Years, Buster Davidson and Keats Williamson, beating up another first year whose name Harry didn't know, casting spells and humiliating him for the public to see. Not knowing much magic other than a simple _Wingardium Leviosa,_ Harry was quickly put in his place by Buster and Keats, and left hanging up with the beaten student. The student ignored Harry despite his efforts to save him and Harry discovered the hard way that he wasn't invincible.

In order to be good, he had to train. He had to put in the hard work. One thing that he did find that the student had left behind was a muggle comic book, a classic Batman comic book that showed the man Bruce Wayne lose his parents, train hard, and return to his city to become a crime fighter. Despite the fact that both of his parents were still alive, Harry found that he had a lot in common with the Caped Crusader, and so when he found the Room of Requirement at Christmas, the first thing that he turned it into was the Batcave. He'd returned the comic to the student who had forgotten it of course, having only been given it by a parent shortly before coming, but Harry quickly found himself remembering every page to the letter.

' _Yes Father, I Shall Become a Bat.'_

At eleven years old, Harry may not have had the training that Bruce Wayne did, and neither did he have the League of Assassins for a mentor, but he was willing to put in the hard work, and mostly self-taught, his training as a result meant that by the time his brother arrived at Hogwarts in his third year, he was almost ready.

Thirteen years old, before his third year at Hogwarts, Harry discovered music for the first time. Proper, muggle, _music._ A small record store had opened up in Godric's Hollow and after exploring the town he quickly found himself stumbling into it. The man was a squib and recognised Harry almost instantly, and delighted to have a Potter in the house, gave him a free copy of something that Harry was sure he'd love. It was David Bowie's _Absolute Beginners,_ the very first record that he owned.

 _I'm an absolute beginner  
But I'm absolutely sane._

At thirteen years old in nineteen ninety-one, Harry was pretty sure he had found his first love. The year of 1991 passed Harry by largely unnoticed in the wizarding world however, and he soon found himself catching up on events that he had missed out on. The first Britain went up to space. Queen debuted their chart-topper _Bohemian Rhapsody_ and Eurythmics released an album that contained their Greatest Hits. _Terminator 2: Judgement Day_ topped the US Box Office Charts and by the end of the year, the Cold War officially came to an end with the dissolving of the USSR with the resignation of Mikael Gorbachev. Harry quickly found his favourite album, Sam Cooke's concert release _Live at the Harlem Square Club,_ 1963, and a few days before he was due to go back to Hogwarts, Harry's record store closed. The owner was moving, his business a failure in a largely wizarding-run community, and apparently, decided to travel to America and couldn't take the leftover stock with him. What he couldn't take, he gave to Harry, and as a result, his record collection grew tenfold. He returned to Hogwarts with a Walkman and a bunch of tapes only to be bitterly disappointed that it didn't work, at least for now. _  
_

If Harry had thought his first two years were bad enough then his third year with Samuel Potter became insufferable. Despite Quidditch being excluded to second years and above he became Gryffindor's number one seeker after one simple feat that Professor McGonagall just happened to be watching. His dedication to his training in the Room of Requirement had seen him live a mostly friendless life, and had immediately seen himself ostracised by the school community even further. An outcast and a social pariah by the age of thirteen the only place that music worked was the Room of Requirement, so that was where he remained within lessons.

Halloween saw Harry's first chance to showcase his newfound training in action, and he was too busy training to notice anything wrong with his third Defence teacher, Professor Quirrell. A troll was unleashed into Hogwarts and almost killed Hermione Granger, but Harry's diversion brought enough time for her to escape from the bathroom after being bullied by Ron Weasley. She did not become friends with Weasley following this incident and neither did she become friends with Harry, instead turning to other students in Hufflepuff. Harry ended up in hospital and two weeks' worth of detention after stalling the troll long enough for Sam and Ron to arrive and take all the credit for its destruction, as he had been knocked unconscious by it just as they arrived. He had earned detention. They had earned several points for Gryffindor.

Nymphadora Tonks, a student who was a few years older than him and a Hufflepuff, visited him in the hospital with a card and a hot chocolate. She was the first one to notice Harry's troubles, having said, "Hermione told me about what happened to you. I thought I'd come and say hi, seeing as I noticed that nobody else bothered to. She says thanks, by the way."

Tonks and Harry became friends after that. Harry tried introducing Tonks to muggle music, but it didn't really catch on. Someone who was listening to their conversation however was Jason Samuels, who became fast friends with Harry when they bonded over their shared love of music. Jason's dedication to Duran Duran and A-Ha and The Jam kept Harry alive and beating during these years, and his conversations with Tonks and Jason remained the focal point of his sanity.

Unprepared, he tried to get past the Three Headed Dog when he saw something beneath it after investigating the third-floor corridor. He ended up getting surprised by Quirrell and knocked unconscious again, waking up a day later to find out that Quirrell had been revealed to be Voldemort and his brother had stopped him from getting the Philosopher's Stone. Gryffindor beat Slytherin to win the House Cup for the first time in many years, and Harry couldn't help but join in on the celebrations. He ended the year returning to his family, bruised and beaten, but at least he had something he hadn't before. Friends.

1992 came around quicker than before, and with it came the release of _Jurassic Park_ in muggle theatres. Released in the summer of July it was Harry's first ever movie that he saw at the Cinema, and he loved it. Combining movies with music he quickly stumbled across his Mum's half buried, half ignored collection of VHS tapes and discovered her long lost love for French New Wave Cinema and American crime movies. He followed up _Jurassic Park_ with a mixture of Jean-Luc Godard's _Band of Outsiders_ and Alfred Hitchcock's classics _Rear Window_ and _Vertigo._ Like all rebellious teenagers, he soon found himself sneaking into 18 rated movies, and first heard about a film that had been banned in the UK due to how violent it was. That film was _Reservoir Dogs,_ and then, everything changed again for Harry, when he saw it for the first time at thirteen years old.

Five consecutive viewings later, He knew that he wanted to make a difference, and he knew that he wanted to do it in a Suit.

 **II.**

 _Yes Father, I Shall Become A Bat._

If he thought his brother's first year was enough trouble then Harry couldn't have been more wrong. Samuel's second year saw the coming of Professor Lockhart as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He was an instant charmer, but it appeared that he put too much charm into his work. Harry discovered that he was using his powers for ill after recognising one of his stories from a work of fiction, trying to con believers in to the fact that his tale of how he defeated a famous vampire known as Dracula was the truth. Digging into Lockhart further, Harry found out multiple reports of past incidents where the stories didn't match up with the facts, and in most cases, were exaggerated. He was a fraud, designed to sell his own books.

And then Slytherin's monster struck for the first time on Filch's cat. _Enemies of the Heir, Beware._ Harry potentially saw this as Lockhart tapping into the myths and legends of the castle as a diversion but when he knew that the man had no idea he realised that this was something else. Whilst his brother investigated Slytherin's monster, he helped look after his sister, Harper, keeping her out of trouble. She too had been sorted into Gryffindor like her more famous brother and made friends a little too easy, but at the same time, got on with hard work. Hermione Granger, Harry noted, made friends with Ginny Weasley, who became more and more distant as the years went on. Eventually, Harry found the book for the first time, cast aside by Ginny in a fit of despair. He talked to Riddle like Ginny had done, enough to figure out that Ginny was being used and went to Dumbledore to explain. However, Dumbledore had been arrested by Lucius Malfoy for charges of neglect and mistreatment after the fourth petrification, oddly enough, the only time Lucius Malfoy had cared about a muggleborn in his life. But if Lucius Malfoy saw an opportunity, he took it. Dumbledore got removed from office for only 24 hours, but it was enough to see the damage done.

Ginny Weasley was kidnapped by Slytherin's Monster. _Her Body Will Lie in the Chamber Forever._ It turned out that the book had been taken back by her having solved the riddle to Ravenclaw tower with the help of her friend Luna Lovegood, and ended up dragging herself to die. Unfortunately for Voldemort her plan to alert Samuel through a blood message succeeded, and Sam, following the clues laid down by Ginny, headed to the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry had followed a different route to discover the Chamber. He had gone with Harper to check on Hermione and had found a note that instructed him to follow the spiders. He did, with Harper, into the forest, and they were able to work out that the spiders were able to tell them that it was a basilisk. Returning to the castle, Harper rushed to tell her father at the Ministry with the help of McGonagall and the floo network, whilst Harry journeyed into the abyss to find his brother and Ron Weasley facing down the basilisk and a young Tom Riddle. Riddle struck first of course, but the two teamed up to eventually, with the help of Fawkes, the Phoenix, stop the basilisk for good. In the chaos, Harry stole the book, acquired a basilisk fang, and was able to stop the Riddle. But he also had been wounded by the basilisk in the process of stealing the fang, and missed another celebration of his brother's heroics. But this time, Fawkes was not a biased witness, and told Dumbledore about what had happened, earning Harry his first visit from the Headmaster.

Harry turned down the offer of an award for special services to the school, rejecting the award. He didn't like being honoured for a reward that he didn't feel he had earned, explaining that he felt that his brother and sister had done their fair share of the work as well. He also found out that he was a parselmouth in that year, a secret that he was able to keep hidden well, from mostly anyone who he came into contact with, only confessing to Remus Lupin in his fifth year. It was in the summer before his fifth year, having trained in physical combat, that Harry expanded into vigilante business outside of Hogwarts for the first time, his most notable occasion seeing a strange boy being involved in the takedown of a muggle pickpocket in a local Godric's Hollow newspaper. Small steps led to a slowly establishing connection with criminal activities, and his first Death Eater battle at 13 years old.

As expected lost horribly, and fleeing the village that they had struck, stumbled across somebody called Remus Lupin for the first time. Lupin, recognising him as Harry Potter, took him under his mentorship and trained him further in both magical and non-magical ways, teaching him tricks to avoid getting noticed by the Ministry and to disguise his face. Most of what he learned, he learned from Lupin, and as a result, excelled when he returned to Hogwarts in his fifth year, which soon proved to be his most important, because it was Nineteen Ninety Three, and Peter Pettigrew had escaped from Azkaban. It turned out that the traitor been an animagus all along, disguised as a rat, and came for Sam to finish his master's mission. In response, the Dementors came to Hogwarts, and Harry learned the patronous charm.

He also learned attacked the Death Eaters again following an increased activity outside Norwich, rumoured that they were hunting for something. That something turned out to be the Spear of Destiny, a device that had been imported into Europe. Despite contrasting rumours that the Spear was already in place, Harry went to investigate, wearing a suit for the first time. The mission went largely without a hitch, and as a result, several Death Eaters were left captured. One he helped escape however was a Severus Snape, recognising why Dumbledore had the man on the inside and proceeding to keep his identity a secret. It turned out that the rumours had been false, planted by Snape at the bequest from Dumbledore in an attempt to work out which Death Eaters were still active in the field. The Spear of Destiny was very much held in containment in the Department of Mysteries, kept under lock and key. However, Snape couldn't help but disclose this information when questioned by Lestrange and Voldemort's inner circle. Lestrange herself of course, had broken out of Azkaban several years earlier, leaving a bloody trail of bodies in her wake.

Harry was lucky that he had as long as he did to prepare for the attack by the Death Eaters, but then that showed their lack of a leadership structure without their commander, with constant infighting and power struggles.

To Harry's delight, Lupin became the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher even if by this point he knew it would only be for a year due to the curse. Lupin introduced Harry to a Boggart which showed him his greatest fear, the death of his family. No matter what they said to him he still loved them and viewed them as family, no matter what he said. He remembered them for what they were before Voldemort's attack, loving and caring, and hoped that one day they would return to that. His Boggart was dissolved by turning them into clowns, something which in turn frightened a certain Jason Samuels behind him, who had come to the class despite being older than Harry. Having read Stephen King's _It_ at an age far younger than he should have done, he had grown up afraid of clowns, and as a result, he instantly had to come up with his spell to counter it almost immediately, betraying his worst fear. A world without music and laughter.

Peter Pettigrew attacked Gryffindor the very next day, having killed and disguised himself as Ron Weasley's pet rat. He kidnapped Samuel and pulled him out of the castle, but Lupin was waiting for him in the courtyard having been tipped off by the Marauder's Map, a device that Sam had been given by James. Pettigrew was easily defeated by Lupin that year, and Harry continued his vigilante business in secret, increasing his activities which began to earn himself increased notoriety in the wizarding world. Following Lupin's resignation from Hogwarts, Harry approached him with an offer to work as his Alfred to Harry's Bruce Wayne, and as a result, a new partnership was formed once more. Taking advantage of muggle security cameras to give him updates on wizards, Harry and Lupin became partners in crime-fighting like it was something that they should have done all their lives, and eventually, they gained a notoriety too. The Man in the Suit myth grew and grew, bringing Harry in a roundabout way to where he was today, in nineteen ninety four.

"And there you have it," said Harry, talking to Tonks on the balcony. It was well into the early morning, and several drinks later, he was exhausted from his story-telling. "That's more or less it. Why I became who I am."

"Because of a headless ghost and a muggle comic book?" Tonks almost snorted at the absurdity of the situation.

"Because I wanted to make a difference."

"And have you?"

"I'd say I have. The Death Eaters don't have the Spear, for one."

"Bellatrix Lestrange is captured, too," pointed out Tonks. "I guess I should thank you for luring her out, assuming that was you."

"It was," said Lupin. "But we have a more pressing matter at hand that we must address. The Cult of Mordred. That could threaten to undo everything that you've already done."

"Wait. Mordred? As in the man who killed King Arthur Mordred? The one who was Merlin's greatest enemy, _Mordred_?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "He's coming back. Apparently, that's what I keep hearing, anyway. And King Arthur might not be dead, if you believe all the legends, but that's beside the point. You remember that door?"

"I'm never going to forget it. It feels odd. Unnatural. Like it doesn't belong," Tonks had only seen it briefly, but anyone who even glanced at the door for a matter of seconds knew it was a sight they were never going to forget in their lifetime.

"The chances are highly likely that he's behind that, trying to escape." said Harry. "But what I don't get is why now. Why this year. Why not before. He could have influenced people at any time before."

"Because it has something to do with my school," said a voice from behind them, and Viktor Krum stood there next to Fleur Delacour, who had arrived. Both were tired but had recovered from their various exploits, Krum in particular, and were yawning. "Andrei Rosicky, he bought the cult over. He was, how you put it, Patient Zero."

"He was already infected by the time Krum arrived in Hogwarts," confirmed Fleur, and glancing at Harry's suit, added, "Nice suit by the way. It fits."

"Thanks," Harry said. Tonks frowned at this, glancing across to them.

"So you know he's the vigilante? Am I seriously the last person to find out?" Tonks said.

"I worked that out when he recruited us to investigate the school," said Fleur. "I think for where we're going next, you're going to need all the help you can get."

"Well that depends," said Harry. "Where are we going next?"

"Durmstrang," Krum said. "We're going to Durmstrang. Whatever Andrei was possessed by, he was attacked there."

"Well, I must say, I've never been to… what country's Durmstrang in again?"

"I have sworn a solemn vow not to tell outsiders without the permission of the Headmaster," said Krum. After a pause he added, "But there is no specification in the vow about _taking_ outsiders to Durmstrang without telling them where it is. Technicalities."

"Well in that case, that seems like a big technicality." said Lupin with a smile. "Looks like we're going to need a ride."

"There is a boat," elaborated Krum. "A smaller one, inside the vessel that we used to travel here. It is very small, but can travel vast distances. With the fact that most of my school is either asleep or possessed, we will have to move quickly."

"Wait, hold on, we're doing this _tonight_?" Tonks asked, "But what about Hogwarts? Won't people realise we're missing?"

"Come on, Tonks, what's more important? Stopping Mordred from coming back or attendance? Besides, not like we won't be back before anyone realises we're gone. Three days at most including travel, especially over the weekend when everyone's at Hogsmeade..."

"Fine," said Tonks. "Not like I'm a student here anymore. But if this goes wrong, Harry…"

"It won't go wrong," said Harry, full of enthusiasm despite the subject matter at hand. "Come on. You're going with three champions to visit a friendly school to investigate the origin of a secret cult hell bent on destroying us all. What could possibly go wrong with that?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED….**

Fanfic recommendation of the chapter: Kenya Starflight's _The Stag and the Dragon._ It's a _Star Wars_ crossover that's actually pretty good, merging both universes surprisingly well all because Dumbledore decided that appointing Darth Vader as the Dark Arts teacher might be a good idea.

Film recommendation of the chapter: _Colossal,_ starring Anne Hathaway. It's a unique take on the kaiju/giant monsters destroying cities genre that _Pacific Rim_ or _Godzilla_ fans will be used to and it's got a powerful, emotional performance at its core. I saw it today and can recommend it for sure.

Next Chapter: Durmstrang, and hopefully less exposition. Also, featuring a new fantasy monster, so start placing your bets now on what they're going up against. It won't necessarily be part of the Harry Potter universe already, but then it could well be. To say more would be spoilers.


	26. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Twenty-Six: We Gotta Get Out of This Place**

 **I.**

The boat plunged out of the icy waters, emerging in the catacombs that protected Durmstrang. Shivering cold was cancelled out only by a warming charm as Harry stood on the deck of _The Dauntless,_ wrapped in a winter jacket. "Wow," he couldn't help but exclaim. Ice walls dominated the horizon, thick and impossible, no doubt kept hidden by something to do with magic, because surely any normal ice walls this thick would be no doubt noticed by the more adventurous muggles. "That's amazing. And you guys travel through this maze to get to Durmstrang?"

"Normally we just take the floo," Krum clarified, still using the translation spell to help with his speech. "But on occasions where we travel, yes. We use the ice maze. It is the only way to get to the portal."

"Ice maze. Is that a technical term?"

"You would not understand what it is called in your language, even with a translator spell," clarified Krum. "It is impossible to pronounce."

"Oh-kay," Harry said, awkwardly. "You didn't have to come, you know."

"And miss out on finding out why my best friend is not acting like himself?" Krum said. "And also, get a chance to see the fabled Man in the Suit in action knowing that you're actually the Man in the Suit?"

"I can't believe you kept a secret hidden for so long," said Fleur, standing beside him. "With the Aurors here. Under the guise of four Headmasters. Such a task… impossible, no?"

"Not with training," said Harry. "So, we should expect people to be waiting for us, right? The school has to have some advanced detection spell as soon as a ship breaches the portal."

"That's what I'm worried about," Krum said. "Normally Herr Götze and his ship is waiting for us by now. But I haven't seen him, and from my experience, if there is one thing he is not, it is late."

"Well in that case, should we expect trouble?"

"Absolutely," said Krum.

"Oh good," Harry said, clapping his hands together. "I'll go and alert the others."

 **II.**

"I think it's better if I remain on the boat," Lupin said as Harry made his way below deck. "You four look more than capable of handling whatever Durmstrang can throw at you on your own, and it would be better if I co-ordinated your adventures from here. I have a map, after all. Wouldn't want any of you to get lost if you get separated."

"Sure," said Harry, as Lupin produced the earpieces. "Wait, Viktor, will muggle technology work in Durmstrang?"

"I had honestly never considered this," said Krum. "The school's large population is made out of purebloods, so I would have presumed that they simply have not bothered."

"Well, we can test when we're on the ground," said Harry. "Okay. Take a pair and place it in your ear."

The group followed his command, taking the earplugs that Lupin had duplicated. One they were all embedded, Lupin spoke into a microphone, "Testing, testing, can you hear me?"

"Well, we can hear you because we're in the same room as you," said Tonks. "But yeah. I can hear you through the earpiece, if that's what you mean."

"That's what I mean," said Lupin with a smile. "Okay then. Let's get going."

 **III.**

The gateway opened as they arrived. There was no passcode entry, no person waiting for them, the door just opened. Krum lead the way into the empty hallways of the building supported entirely by ice, and it was deserted. No candle lights were there to illuminate the room, forcing the group to respectively cast _Lumos_ spells that established the room. "How many of your classmates came to Hogwarts this year, Viktor?" Fleur couldn't help but ask. "There should still be at least some here, shouldn't there."

"There should," said Krum, and then he coughed suddenly, heavily almost. Fleur, Harry and Tonks looked at him in surprise.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"I should be fine," he said. "It's nothing."

"That didn't look like nothing," said Tonks. "Do you want to go back to the ship?"

"You won't know your way around the castle without me," said Krum. "Even with me guiding over an earpiece. Come on. A good place to start investigating would be Andrei's room. He may have left something behind."

"As long as we don't run into the White Witch," commented Harry, earning a few confused looks from everyone else. "I guess I'm the only one that's read C.S. Lewis around here. Go figure."

They walked through the ice castle, their footsteps echoing loudly around the building. Largely undisturbed, the group found their way up to the third floor which contained the dormitories, according to Krum, which were not separated by house, but by skill level and age. Andrei Rosicky was Krum's friend so naturally, he was in the higher category, which was rewarded more lavish dormitories and rooms. "What are the rooms for the less qualified students like?" Tonks asked.

"Bunk beds," confirmed Krum. "Little space. It is an unfair system, admittedly, but it rewards hard work. You do not come to Durmstrang expecting it to be easy. There are admittedly, a high record of dropouts here. We can normally tell who's going to make it and who isn't."

"I'm getting worried that I haven't seen a single student yet," said Harry. "But why do I get the feeling that we're not alone here?"

"Maybe the Cult left some brainwashed students here," said Fleur. "This feels like a trap."

"Well, hopefully we'll be quick," said Harry, pointing his wand forward into the darkness, still illuminated by the Lumos spell. Krum coughed again, but quickly cleared his throat and brushed it off.

"Through here," he said, doing his best to pretend that nothing was amiss. He led them into the dormitory offshoot that played host to Krum's quarters. Tonks had to restrain herself from taking a peek at the bedroom of one of her favourite Quidditch stars, and Harry knew that Krum was starting to get fed up about her near constant questions on the voyage over. Krum led them into Rosicky's room, a small building in a mostly icy wall. It was warmer than anticipated inside, no doubt heated by some form of magic. "This is it."

"Looks like he left most of his stuff here," said Harry, glancing around the room. He could see that it hadn't been tidied and was mostly a mess, with storage boxes left with clothes falling out onto the floor. The study desk was a mess of papers and several chests of drawers were largely unkempt. "Okay, so we're looking for notes, anything that might give us information. Key words, Mordred, anything to do with Arthurian Legend."

"Well, I came all this way to find his porn collection," deadpanned Tonks, "But I guess Arthurian Legend will have to do."

After about twenty minutes of searching the room, they found nothing. No sign of any connectivity with Arthurian legend, no sign of Mordred's name being mentioned in notepads, nothing. A frustrated Krum threw some of Rosicky's work off the desk, coughing as he did so. "We came all this way for nothing. We should have checked his private room on the ship."

"We had no way of getting in, you told me that. Place was too heavily guarded, even for me," said Harry. "It was only because of you that we were lucky enough to get the boat in the first place. I think the guard is going to cherish that autograph for the rest of his life."

"Or sell it on the black market for a profit," said Krum. "I don't normally do autographs."

"I get why you don't," commented Harry. "But unless there's anything else that Rosicky might have stored his stuff, we're at a dead end?"

"What about secret messages?" said Lupin over the earpiece. "Have you tried the walls? There might be hidden messages on them. Invisible ink. It's a tactic I've seen used before, particularly by criminals to convey messages. Remember the Ramsey Twins?"

"I remember," said Harry, his eyes widening.

"Wait, the Ramsey Twins? Was that you?" said Tonks, glancing at Harry, who nodded. "We were trying to get them for months. How'd you get them?"

"Like this," Harry said, and then uttered to the room, " _Revelio_ _scripturam._ "

Instantly, the room descended into further darkness and the walls illuminated around. The writing instantly lit up and was revealed to itself in the walls. Written in code, the spell unscrambled the writing in the room to form a more coherent understanding of the language. "Okay, that is actually pretty cool," said Tonks. "Wait, I can't believe any of us tried it. I feel stupid."

"You didn't know that the twins were using hidden messages to contact each other," explained Harry. "We did."

"How?"

"Well, let's just say our methods are a bit different to yours," Harry said, glancing around the room. He took in the messages, which seemed to get more and more desperate as they went around the room. "Look. He was trying to fight the brainwashing too."

"I don't understand. How can he fight the brainwashing if he was the first one to submit? He must have joined willingly, right?" Tonks said.

"Maybe," Harry pondered. "What was Rosicky like before? Did you know him much? Were there any tell-tale signs that he was going to you know, do this?"

"He was bullied," said Krum. "Not by me. Once some of the more overzealous purebloods found out he was a muggleborn, things got ugly. I don't like jumping to conclusions but it looks like he was able to tap into a source of power somehow, turn to it out of desperation looking to increase his strength and got more than he bargained for."

"Okay…" Harry said. "So what's this about a _vault_ that he's writing about? Is it like the door at Hogwarts?"

"It's a place of mythical power," Krum said. "Every school has their legends. I'd imagine Beauxbatons does too, no?"

"It does," confirmed Fleur. "There are rumours of a room with immense power behind it."

"That's odd," Harry said. "Three rooms, three different schools, all with great power sources behind them. What's the connection?"

"They're the premiere magical schools in Europe," added Fleur. "Hold on. Do you have a map on you?"

"I do," said Harry, reaching into his pockets and producing one. He handed her a pen that he kept with him upon her request, and she drew dots on the location of the three respective schools. Beauxbatons was located in the South of France, somewhere near the German border in the Alsace-Lorraine region, whilst Scandinavia played host to Durmstrang, south of Oslo and Stockholm but north of Copenhagen. It was a location that was indicated by Krum discreetly so that he didn't break the code, giving Fleur enough information to work out where it was without telling her. She showed Harry directly.

"It's almost perfect triangle," said Fleur. "Look. Beauxbatons, Hogwarts, Durmstrang. All at exactly the same point away from each other. Follow the line across, Durmstrang, Hogwarts. Now, if I remember correctly from my readings, several years ago, there were attempts at creating different schools around the same time as Hogwarts and Durmstrang. I know we're not supposed to talk about the Cursed Founding, but it was an experiment to create _three_ more schools. Their names are lost to history, but if you add them in, you get another triangle, and the symbol becomes…"

"A pentagram," realised Harry, noticing the indents that Fleur had drawn. "But hold on, isn't that one over water?"

"Well, the legends of Atlantis had to come into play somewhere, didn't they?" Fleur said with a shrug. "I just never imagined that it would be so close to Britain, I always felt it would be further south."

"So there was an underwater colony a few miles off the coast of the UK, Norway, and a school in Poland that we never knew about?" Tonks said. "Seems a bit convenient."

"It does," said Fleur. "But I'm willing to bet that if you went there, you'd find ruins very much like the schools, and at its heart, secret rooms with legends of immense power. Or wreckages of what was once rooms anyway."

"So you reckon they were created for a purpose? You think Mordred isn't just in the room at Hogwarts?"

"It would make sense," said Fleur. "Magical culture, the pentagram, everything links together."

"Careful, you're getting into conspiracy territory here," said Harry. "But if the schools were created to the purpose of protecting Mordred, why go to great lengths? And why bury Mordred beneath thousands of children?"

"Because who would expect the greatest villain who ever lived to be imprisoned beneath a school?" Tonks said. "And beneath multiple schools? It sounds farfetched, crazy, but I've seen how crazy magic can be in the past. I wouldn't rule it out."

"So are we going to Poland next? Or Atlantis?"

"There's no need," said Harry. "The schools have already fallen, centuries ago. There's a reason why they're known as the Cursed Foundings. Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons survived because they haven't been breached yet."

"And if the vault has already been opened in Durmstrang," realised Krum. "Then Durmstrang has fallen too. That would explain the lack of students. They're not here… because Mordred's army has defeated them already."

"And students from Beauxbatons have already been converted," realised Fleur, putting the pieces together. "We normally hear back from Beauxbatons at least once every three weeks. We have not heard anything back since the first task. My Headmistress, she was worried… but had more pressing matters at hand with the Tournament so never followed it up. Oh, Merlin's Beard. Hogwarts is the last one left."

"What happens once the pentagram is complete?" Lupin said, and nobody really wanted to answer, a deathly silence overtaking the room.

Loud noises could be heard from above. Footsteps increasing by the dozen, and dark, twisted, inhuman sounds that followed them through the room, echoing above. "Hmmm. That's odd. The people upstairs are rather noisy."

"This is the highest floor. There aren't any people upstairs," said Krum, following Harry's gaze to the floor above them. "There shouldn't even be an upstairs floor."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," said Harry. "Notice me not charms can be projected onto an entire building if the caster is powerful enough. There were people upstairs the entire time… we just didn't hear them because of the charms. I hate to break it to you, Viktor… but there has always been an upstairs floor at Durmstrang."

Krum's eyes widened in growing realisation and horror at the implication as to what he had just heard. "Get out of there," Lupin instructed through the earpiece. "It's a trap! Get out of there now!"

Fleur and Krum were standing the closest to the door and rushed out, quickly able to escape the bedroom. However, before Harry and Tonks could escape the door slammed shut in front of them, blocking them and preventing them from escaping. "No, no, no, no, no," Harry grimaced in frustration. "Not again."

They tried blasting the door and apparating, but neither tactic worked. Instantly a section of the ceiling began to open and from above, concrete mix began pouring down on the room, covering them. "This is not good," Tonks said. "Remus, we need to get out of here!"

"I can try disabling the anti-apparition wards, but it might take a while," said Lupin. "Alternatively… try breaking the ice."

Realization dawned on Harry's face as he began casting a spell at the concrete. The ice was thick, but if enough pressure was applied in one pace, in theory, it would collapse, no matter how much magic was keeping it in place, especially if there was something less than concrete below him. Tonks started following his manoeuvre, and soon, with the pressure applied by the concrete, the ice began to break under the weight. It wasn't long before it collapsed completely, sending Harry and Tonks crashing down onto the floor below. Tonks instantly pulled Harry away from the concrete and they pulled themselves to their feet. "Well, what now?" Tonks said, glancing down the hallway.

"We find Fleur and Viktor and get the hell out of here," said Harry. "We've been here too long."

"You're right. I'm starting to hate this place," said Tonks. "And I'm getting the horrible, sinking feeling that we should never have come here."

 **IV.**

"Harry!" Fleur couldn't help but shout in frustration at the door. She tried to apparate inside, but couldn't, and merely found herself reappearing in the hallway. " _Merde, Merde, Merde._ What do we do now?"

"Without Harry we should head back to the ship and assume that that is where he is heading as well," Krum said, leading the way forward down the darkened corridor. "I don't want to spend a second longer in this place than necessary."

"Are you sure he's even alive? That was concrete in there," insisted Fleur. "And if they couldn't apparate?"

"Then he's dead," Viktor said bluntly. "But he's Harry Potter. If the rumours about The Man in the Suit are true, then he's survived ten times worse fates than being trapped in a room full of concrete. He'll be fine. You really care about him, don't you?"

"I do," admitted Fleur. "Well, yes. He's probably going to be fine. Let's get out of here."

 _"Wait_!" a voice suddenly called towards them, initially in Swedish, but Krum instantly understood it from the translation spell that was still working. A panicked expression could be heard from a Durmstrang student, who, with a look of pure terror in his eyes, ran towards Krum and Fleur. Krum did his best to hide another cough as the student did so. "You've got to help me. Please, please, please help me Viktor."

"You know him?" Fleur said, glancing at the Durmstrang student. "Who is he?"

"Kasper Ziyech," confirmed Viktor. "It's been a while."

"What are you doing here, I thought you were at Hogwarts?" said the blonde-haired student introduced as Kasper Ziyech. "But that doesn't matter, I'm running out of time, you've got to help me, _please_!"

"What is it?" Krum said, as the student got down on his knees, and virtually begged for help. Krum had never seen Ziyech more terrified in his life, he came from a rich, proud family of Purebloods and would never kneel to anyone, ever. "What's wrong?"

"It's a Dullahan," said Ziyech. "I don't know how or why it's here, but it's taking out students one by one, those that haven't you know… already been taken by the door. It's fast. Invincible. Do you know what a Dullahan is?"

"Irish Mythology," said Fleur. "I covered it as one of my modules last year. I know what it is."

"Well then you know there's only one way to stop it," said Ziyech. "We need to get some gold or else it's going to kill us all. I think it was left as a trap by I don't know, someone who left. I've been hiding out for months in abandoned rooms with food from the kitchens, too scared to leave. I'm lucky, the others put up more of a resistance, bide me some time."

"So you hid like a coward? And all this time, you couldn't find any gold?"

"No, no, no, I couldn't. I had no choice," Ziyech said, and glanced behind him, his blood running cold. "Oh no, it's here! I can see it! When it stops riding, I'm dead!"

The horseman turned around the corner and began to head towards him. It was a horrifying sight to see, something that would haunt both Fleur and Viktor for the rest of their days. The sinister, gruesome face with the cruel smile and despite the ghostly aura it maintained, it resembled a look unlike any other ghost that they had ever seen before. "We need to go, now."

Ziyech ran at full pace. Fleur and Viktor turned and followed suit, the horseback rider chasing after them. "It won't come for you until I'm dead. It has a list that it follows, and an order," said Ziyech, running, almost out of breath. "I need to get out of here now."

"We're not getting out of here," said Krum, suddenly, realization dawning on his face. "I remember something. The top floor, above the dormitories."

"But there's no top floor above the dormitories," said Ziyech, panicking. "Are you mad, Viktor?"

"No, there's always been a top floor on top of the dormitories," said Krum. "Come with me. Professor, do you copy?"

"I do, Mr. Krum," said Lupin over the instruction. "I am letting Harry and Nymphadora know immediately."

Krum and Fleur proceeded up the stairs, thankful that the Dullahan was moving at a slow pace than normal. They slammed all the doors that they could behind them as they ran in an attempt to slow down the creature, but there was only two and the locks seemed to open regardless of what happened. They ran up the spiral staircase, breaking through the _notice me not_ spells. "Aren't we running towards the brainwashed students? Isn't this a bad idea?" Fleur couldn't help but ask.

"Not if we stick to the plan," said Krum.

"There's a plan?" Ziyech couldn't help but look alarmed at this. "I'm still not convinced there's another floor, you know. It's weird. Despite the fact I know I'm running up these steps."

"Notice me not charm," Fleur said. "Where are Harry and Tonks anyway? They should be here by now."

"Maybe there are two different entrances," Krum said, trying to comfort her as they reached the top of the door, the Dullahan close behind. Reaching the top of the stairs, he pushed the heavy door open and ushered the two through, closing it behind. Instantly they found themselves face to face with a room full of brainwashed students waiting for them, their eyes blank and emotionless. "Ah. _Oh…_ this is the secret room? I was actually looking for the uh, billiard room. I'll be… right out here."

Krum went for his wand almost instantly, and brought the large chandelier crushing down on the students directly beneath it with a well-paced blasting curse. They collapsed to the floor, caught underneath it, and the three began kicking the wands away from them. Instantly, around the room, Krum could see stasis pods containing students from Durmstrang, some of whom he recognised, all of whom were currently kept contained. "You will not defeat us," their leader spoke. "We are many, and you are few."

"Actually, you can wait," Krum said. "We're kind of busy right now. Fleur, keep the chandelier in place. Make sure he can't move."

Krum began to cough, violently, earning a small, rewarding smile from the student who tried to move. "I recognise that cough, Mr. Krum. You've been ill for a while now, haven't you?"

"I've had enough from you people," Krum instructed, kicking the student in the face and looking around the room. "I don't want to hear anything more. Now. We're looking for some gold. Tell me where to find some. I won't ask again."

Impressively, the chandelier did not contain any gold items at all. "Um, Viktor?" Fleur asked, glancing across at a table behind them. She could see the school trophy up ahead, with Krum's name marked on it. And to their delight, it was covered entirely in gold.

"Excellent!" Krum couldn't help but exclaim triumphantly, dashing towards the glass container and instantly breaking it with a spell. The glass smashed, sending shards everywhere, but instantly, Krum withdrew the trophy and turned around, calling Ziyech's name. However, the Dullahan had already done so at the same time, and when a name was called by the Dullahan, that instantly meant death. Ziyech disintegrated in front of Krum's face, vanishing from existence altogether, leaving the monster's face visible from behind. "No. _No_!"

The Dullahan small, wicked smile told Krum everything he needed to know. However, mercifully for Krum and Fleur, the smile didn't last long, with the gold trophy being something that the Dullahan was quickly terrified by as soon as it saw it. It turned around on its horse, kicking it into life, and rode away into the distance, leaving Fleur and Krum alone, next to the students, most of whom were knocked unconscious by Fleur at this point. "What do we do now?" Fleur said, after a moment of silence. "Has it gone for good?"

"I don't know," said Krum. "But as long as we have the trophy, it's not coming back."

"Good, then let's get out of here," said Fleur, and then, looked at Krum, noticing how green his face was. "Viktor… are you okay?"

He coughed, violently, and this time, spat out blood. The Champion's face became twisted, as he yelled in pain, his back arching up as he slowly became more and more aggressive in his stance. " _I'm sorry_ ," said the voice that clearly did not belong to Viktor Krum. " _Viktor Krum is not here right now_."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

So, let's get a few things out of the way here, the geography with the whole pentagram thing is probably a bit far-fetched and not entirely accurate. But hey, if Dan Brown can get away with manipulating facts to tell a story, so can I. Plus this is an AU anyway, so I can just change the geography to suit the story. I did initially intend to keep the Durmstrang chapter all in one but it soon became apparent that it wasn't going to be possible, so this is going to be another two parter chapter. I had always intended the side effects of Krum's imprisonment in the wall to be more than just 'oh, he was imprisoned in the wall', so this is where some of that comes into play and more will be explained in the next chapter. But it should become clear that it's a bit different from your standard brainwashed student.

Film recommendation of the chapter: _20_ _th_ _Century Women._ It came out towards the end of last year and is so damn good. Looks at three women at different ages in the 20th Century.

Fanfic recommendation of the chapter: _That Which Holds the Image_ is a scary crossover with _Doctor Who_ that can be read without knowledge of Doctor Who. It has a very creepy use of The Weeping Angels and uses it really well.

Next chapter: Fleur vs. Krum. Harry and Tonks vs… well, you'll have to wait and see.


	27. I Wanna Be Sedated

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven: I Wanna Be Sedated**

 **I.**

Harry and Tonks made their way down the corridor towards the meeting point with Fleur and Krum. Both had their wands drawn, and Lupin spoke over the earpiece, "Something's happened, I've lost comms with Krum."

"Not good," said Harry, glancing back behind him at the corridor that they had just come from. "What about Fleur?"

"She seems to be fine," said Lupin. "They encountered some form of Dullahan."

"A Dullahan? Isn't that usually located in Ireland?" said Tonks. "What's that doing here?"

"Probably brought here as a guard," said Harry. "Which means they're still guarding something. But why still guard something if you already have what you want from the vault?"

"Maybe there's something else that they need protecting. Maybe Mordred has a Plan B in case his Plan A fails," said Tonks.

"In that case we can't leave," said Harry. "Until we find out what it was. The door at Hogwarts was in the dungeons, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Well, by that logic, the door should also be in the dungeons of Durmstrang," said Harry. "They've occupied the top floor so why can't they have got the bottom one as well? Professor, what's happened to Viktor and Fleur? Are they okay?"

"Fleur is currently making her way to the evacuation point, I am using a map to navigate her," said Lupin. "I found it at the entrance while you were gone. I think something infected Krum, however, he seems to be following her. What was that horrible film you made me watch? _Alien_? From what I gather from Fleur's description, Krum looks kind of like the monster in that, only more human."

" _Alien_ 's not a horrible movie! It's only one of the greatest films of all time," insisted Harry, and he didn't need to be face to face with Lupin to see that he was rolling his eyes.

"Guys, seriously, can we not do this now?" Tonks said. "I don't know what you're talking about but it sounds pretty bad by the way _horrible_ and _Alien_ are used. So shouldn't we find her?"

"We don't have time to do both," said Harry. "But…we can make Fleur come to us."

"Are you sure that it's a good idea?"

"In this moment, there are no good ideas, only the best of the bad ones," said Lupin, over the earpiece. "I will alert Miss Delacour to proceed down to the dungeons of Durmstrang then at the same time do my best to navigate you."

"Um, Professor? I might add onto that one more time, where are we?"

"What do you see around you?"

"A portrait of a hammer, which I'm guessing is Thor's," said Harry. "Some of their people must believe in Norse Gods by the looks of things. Hmm. I wonder if they're real?"

"Well, for our sake, the last thing we need is to deal with _Gods_. Mordred and Voldemort are as bad enough as it is," said Tonks.

"Hah," Harry said, noticing something that Tonks just said.

"What?"

"You finally said his name."

"Well, considering we might be facing someone who makes Voldemort look like a school bully in comparison if all the myths and legends about him are true, he suddenly becomes less frightening," said Tonks. "I guess it's kind of like that old muggle saying, better the devil you know than the devil you don't."

"Well, in that case, we've got both," said Harry, glancing behind him to find some Death Eaters in the background. Six of them stood tall and mighty in an arrowhead formation, glancing down into the corridor in front of them. "Oh boy. That can't be good. How did they find us here?"

"What's happening, Harry?"

"Death Eaters," said Harry. "Here in _Durmstrang._ It makes no sense."

"Well, Karkaroff was a Death Eater," said Tonks, backing down the corridor. "Maybe he did a runner."

"And went back to the school that he is known for being the headmaster of? This makes no sense," said Harry, and turned to the Death Eaters, and said, addressing them loudly, "Tell me all your plans!"

" _Avada Kedavra_!" the Death Eater fired the first spell at Harry, moved himself into the side of the corridor through a nearby door into an abandoned classroom.

"That never works," Tonks said, using a spell to lock the door.

"Well, I was hoping it might," said Harry, glancing around at the room behind him. "We should be safe for now. Okay, where are we?"

"Look at the ceiling," said Tonks, gazing up at the roof of the building. It was like Hogwarts' Great Hall where the weather changed to match outside, but instead of matching the weather outside it displayed something else entirely. It displayed a war in motion, with chariots dancing across the skies, clashes of armies and monsters in motion. Lightning was hurled down from the skies as ancient beasts, lost to time, stood clear and present on the battlefield, guarding a building from potential threats. "What is that place?"

"Asgard," realised Harry. "This is Ragnarök. We're looking at the Twilight of the Gods. I don't know the legend entirely, but… this is the final battle. Most of them died. Odin, I think Thor as well. It's mostly just legend, but I never imagined to see something as detailed as this here."

The door banged behind them and it was clear the Death Eaters were trying to unlock it. "Okay, time to leave," said Tonks. "We need to get down to the dungeons, please tell me there's another way out of here."

"There's always a way out," said Harry, glancing over to the corner of the room where there was some sort of fireplace. However, the fire itself was out and he approached the building, noticing some of the cracks in the floor. He repeated to himself, "There's always a way out."

"Look," Tonks pointed down, beneath him. There was a gap between some of the stones one side of the other in a semi-circle that existed just around the outskirts of the fireplace. "A secret door."

"Awesome," said Harry, walking onto the separate stones just as the door to the room was kicked open. Tonks stepped on as the ancient structure began to turn. Harry addressed the Death Eaters, "Now, honestly, I'd love to stay and chat, find out what all your plans are, why you're in Durmstrang, whether or not you're simply just Tonks' boggart or not, but after all these years of putting up with Death Eaters and the threat of Voldemort hanging over me left right and centre there's only one thing left that I have to say to you right now… Did I ever tell you how much I loved secret doors?"

The door turned as if by detecting Harry and Tonks' presence. They unleashed shield spells to protect against the immediate Death Eater attacks as they turned, and eventually, the Twilight of the Gods was replaced with a dark corridor, leaving them using their wands for other purposes that involved lighting. "That was brilliant," said Tonks. "Do you think that they might have been my Boggart though? Death Eaters?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "Nymphadora Tonks. What are you afraid of?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Come on, don't you trust me?"

"I do," said Tonks.

"Excellent," said Harry, glancing down on the floor below them only to find out that there was in fact, no floor. It was rapidly collapsing into the side of the room exposing a drop beneath them to an unknown destination. "Because we're about to go on a very big drop. Say _wheeee_!"

Tonks screamed as she noticed the floor falling apart, and soon followed Harry in the darkness below.

 **II.**

Fleur was racing down the spiral staircase herself, knowing that the disfigured Krum was chasing after her with inhuman speed. She had to be careful that she didn't find herself tripping up as the steps got steeper and steeper, and soon, she found herself having to be incredibly careful with where she put her feet. The Professor directed her out onto a nearby corridor and she was considerably thankful that she didn't have to go further down on that particular flight of stairs. "Okay, Harry and Nymphadora have seemingly fallen from a great height," said Lupin as Fleur closed the doorway to the main corridor behind her, using an empty broom cupboard to block it from Krum. Before the doorway closed she cast a spell that transfigured a small rock into a dog and sent the dog off further down the stairs, hoping that he would be lured into following the bait. "So I presume that's what you're looking for. Some kind of pit. Oh, and it would appear that there are Death Eaters in the building, so be careful."

"Death Eaters?" Fleur couldn't help but ask. "What are they doing in Durmstrang?"

"I don't know," said Lupin. "It could have been a boggart, or any kind of magical creature impersonating as Death Eaters, but honestly, it could be anything at this point. This whole castle feels like one elaborate trap. I'm starting to get the feeling that we should never have come here."

"Well, as it happens, I agree with you", said Fleur, running away from the door, "Now what you're essentially telling me what I'm looking for is one big hole?"

"More or less."

"Would that be More more or More less?"

"More more," said Lupin. "What floor are you in? They should have numbers above the doorway that you just passed through. Roman numerals."

"Two," said Fleur.

"Good. Then you're on the same floor," said Lupin. "Take three left turns, run through the cafeteria, and then you should find yourself outside The Twilight of the Gods."

"The Twilight of the Gods?"

"From what I can gather it's some sort of prayer room to ancient Gods, although it hasn't been used in centuries," said Lupin. "I don't know why they would have a portrait up of their own God's demise if it was a prayer room, however. But that should be where you'll find a secret door, which will take you to the hole."

"So I have to go through the Death Eaters to get to Harry and Tonks? Isn't there a better way?"

"Hmmm… Let me see. You could try going back up and blasting through the floor above. Assuming enough pressure is applied, it could in theory, trigger the ice to collapse like how Harry and Tonks escaped. But you'd need to find something large, something big to act as an icebreaker. I'll update you when you're there."

 **III.**

Tonks awoke, moments later, in some unfamiliar world. She took a moment to get her bearings and found herself in some kind of room, standing next to Harry Potter, of all people. "Are you ready?" Tonks said, glancing across at Harry. "It's a big day."

"It is," Harry said, adjusting his suit. "I mean. We could delay the announcement further if you wanted to."

"You wouldn't be Harry Potter if you didn't rush into a decision super quick with little foresight."

"This actually feels like a good decision, though," said Harry. "I mean, taking over my father's place as Chief Auror? There are many people who would kill to have this position, especially just finishing Hogwarts."

"Well, Voldemort's dead. Mordred is dead. You've earned it," said Tonks, as the door opened, and in stepped Sirius Black, wearing a suit.

"Harry, my boy!" Sirius said, glancing down at him and Tonks. "Good to see you're not getting cold feet at the last possible second. This Auror team needs you. And Nymphadora, too."

That was the first clue that Tonks realised that something was wrong. Sirius should have known to call her Tonks, not Nymphadora. Instead, she found out that Harry was calling her by her first name, and even a Daily Prophet article featured Nymphadora over Tonks. Apparently in whatever world she was now in, her first name had replaced the status of the second name and this was very much a world that someone with the name Nymphadora did not want to be in. "Something's wrong," realised Tonks. "This isn't right."

"What's not right? Are you sure you don't want Harry to get the promotion? And you're getting promoted as well, Nymphadora. You're going to be taking place like Harry will be taking his father's."

"Harry," said Tonks. "Can I have a word in private for a second please?"

"What? Oh yeah, sure," said Harry, as Sirius took the hint that he was no longer needed. "What's wrong, Nymphadora?"

"The very fact that you're calling me Nymphadora," said Tonks. "The whole thing feels wrong. Tell me, how did we defeat Mordred and Voldemort?"

"Voldemort was defeated with uh, that's a good question. Wait. How do I not know that? I defeated him. And Mordred," said Harry, his eyes widening. "I don't remember what Mordred looks like but I remember defeating him. Hell, I remember defeating Mordred but not this morning. So either I've had the mother of all hangovers or…"

"This isn't real," said Tonks.

"Not again," sighed Harry. "That's twice in about a week now. Man, I'm really letting my guard down."

"What happened the first time?"

"Turns out Professor Lupin's house that he gave to me for Christmas had the ghost of a mad scientist in it who was able to trap me and The Professor without me noticing," said Harry. "But… why do I remember that? That never happened. I live happily with my parents here. Professor Lupin... I don't even know him."

"That's because this is all a dream," realised Tonks. "Some made up world to lure us in. How did you get out the first time?"

"The first time wasn't a dream, I was just kept unconscious," said Harry, half-remembering the time spent inside his own dream, but decided not to bring that up. "Some muggles stumbled into the building and were able to help me."

"Muggles? Well, we're not getting much luck with that here," said Tonks. "So how do we get out?"

"We find a way," said Harry. "But it looks like it won't be easy. We'll have competition. I'd imagine whoever put us here wants to keep us out."

"You're not wrong," said a voice from behind Harry, and he turned to face Roger Davis standing there. Tonks found herself pitted against Bellatrix Lestrange, and the four quickly began exchanging spells, a flurry of curses lighting up the atmosphere. If someone looked outside they would see Sirius Black standing there, oblivious to what was going on, checking the time on his fob watch and only glancing up when an unconscious Roger Davis came blasting through the door. Instantly, Black snapped to attention and entered the room.

"Bella?" Sirius couldn't help but ask. "What are you doing here?"

"It turns out I couldn't play the game of innocent Black heir forever," Bellatrix Lestrange taunted. "Little Bella wants to play a game. I'm going to start by torturing the Chief Auror's son on his last day office, doesn't that sound grand?"

"Harry, get out of here, I'll hold her off," said Sirius, pushing Harry and Tonks aside.

"Are you sure?" Harry said, wanting to stay and help, despite slowly coming to the realization that Sirius and Lestrange were not in fact real.

"I am _perfectly_ sure," said Sirius. "Go! Now! I can hold her off."

"Come on," Tonks said, dragging Harry away from the room. Both of them ran down the Ministry corridor, heading down to find that there was nobody there. "I think I might have found a way out of here."

"What's that?"

"You once asked me if you trusted me or not," said Tonks. "Now it's your turn to repay the favour. Trust me. Come on, we're going downstairs."

"Alright," said Harry, allowing to be led downstairs. As he got closer, he found himself clashing with more memories from his past, more flashbacks from a world that he was starting to remember, putting the pieces together, Hogwarts, the vault, Durmstrang…. The jump. "We jumped, didn't we?"

"Yes. And it looks like we've fallen into some sort of trap," said Tonks. "Something was waiting for us, something with the power to trap us in a dream, do you know what it might be?"

"I have a feeling that I know what we're up against, but I hope I'm wrong," said Harry, as they reached the Department of Mysteries and the Veil. It stood tall and proud in front of them. "Tonks, you genius. You absolute _genius_."

"I was thinking that the Veil was billed as a gateway between worlds, right? That was at least the early argument. So maybe it could work? I mean, something has to be an escape route."

"There's always a way out," said Tonks, and Harry nodded, understanding what he'd said earlier. "Together?"

"Together," Harry said, approaching the Veil.

" _Wait,_ " a voice said from behind him and he turned around to watch Sirius Black being held at wand point by Bellatrix Lestrange. She had the wand pushed against his chest and he was suffering from a bleeding nose and a bruised eye. "Don't think you're going anywhere, Harry Potter. You are staying right here, in this world, or else Mr. Sirius here dies."

"You know you can't keep us here forever, Bellatrix," said Harry. "We'd always escape, one day."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked, glancing up at Bellatrix and then across at Harry. "Escape? What's going on?"

" _Avada Kedavra_ ," a familiar voice echoed from behind Bellatrix and Sirius suddenly, and Bellatrix slumped down, dead to the floor, the light vanishing from her eyes. This came from James Potter, who was standing there, "Nobody threatens my family. Sirius, Harry, Nymphadora, are you okay?"

"James," Sirius looked positively relieved to see his best friend despite the fact that Bellatrix Lestrange was standing dead on the floor. "Are you alright?"

"I am," he said. "I realised something was wrong when you didn't show up at the ceremony. Minister Shacklebolt is on edge. But… Harry, Nymphadora, what's wrong? Why are you down here?"

"We have something to tell you," said Harry, getting memories of this world at the same time he was regaining memories of the real one. The overflow of information was beginning to hurt his brain, and he realised that he couldn't stay too long in this world. Time was running out.

"Don't worry," said James, suddenly, as if he too had experienced a moment of realisation. "I know. Sirius. We have to let them go."

"What? James, are you insane? Nobody has gone through the veil and lived!"

"Because we don't know where the veil goes. As much as it hurts to tell you, these two are not our Harry and Nymphadora," James said. "They are returning to their own world. We must not stand in their way."

"Their personalities are fighting back against whatever's keeping us here," said Harry, noticing that James and Sirius were starting to cough. "We can't stay much longer."

"Harry," called out James, suddenly. "I know you are not our Harry, but I just want to tell you something. I'm accessing memories from something that I never knew. A creature that's manipulating us, controlling our thoughts. You're up against a Afanc."

"An Afanc? _Of course._ _Of course, of course, of course,_ " Harry said, running the _of course_ off his tongue. "Invisible until you detect it, right?"

"Here, catch," said James, throwing him a sword. Harry caught it. "As soon as I realised what it was I stopped off on my way over here. Now I don't know if you'll be able to take the sword through the veil with you, but it's embedded with adder stone. It will make the creature visible, and then you can-"

"Can what?" Harry couldn't help but ask, because his father had stopped talking. Instead, he vanished, disintegrating into nonexistence, as if the very fabric of reality was being torn up around him.

"We need to move, now," said Tonks, glancing across to Harry. "The Afanc is attempting to replace this reality with another, we'll be sucked into another one before you know it and this time…"

"It'll be harder to escape," finished Harry. "Come on."

"Here goes nothing," said Tonks, taking Harry's hand. They didn't bother to count to ten this time, instead jumping through the portal to an unfamiliar destination, hoping it would be more real than the world that they had just left.

 **IV.**

Their bodies came coughing and wheezing to life as Harry and Tonks pulled themselves from the surface of the water that they were drowning in, soaking wet but alive and very much back in reality. They had stumbled back into a cave, and Harry was relieved to see that the sword had somehow managed to jump across from both realities, and but for how long, he wasn't sure. Seconds later, the Afanc became visible to the world, a green, crocodile-like creature towering in front of them, furious at being detected. Despite having never wielded a sword before in his life, the weapon came strangely natural to Harry, who struck out at the beast, which was surpassed with the help from Tonks. He drew blood with multiple blows, and eventually the creature towered backwards, collapsing on the floor.

It had been defeated.

Wiping the messy hair from his eyes, Harry turned his attention back to Tonks and tried re-establishing his communication with Lupin, the earpieces having been protected by magic against the fall. It was Lupin who spoke first, "Harry? Are you there?"

"I'm here," he said, "What happened? You lost communication for a while."

"Took a bit of a swim," said Harry, casting a warming spell on himself and Tonks. "And we just met an Afanc."

"An Afanc? Well, that would explain the Dullahan," said Lupin. "And the connection with Mordred. The creatures all have links with Irish mythology, which has heavy roots in the story of King Arthur. Oh, and if I'm right, you should be getting company, soon. You might want to look up."

Harry had been about to ask where Fleur had been all this time, but found his answer within seconds as she was falling from the height that they had just come from. Thankfully, the water that they had hit was rather deep and Fleur seemed to be on course to do the same, but just in case, Tonks cast a spell to slow down her approach and stop her just before she hit the water. The infected Krum was following suit too, having obviously kept up the pursuit of Fleur, and he too was kept afloat by Harry, who was able to cast a stunner once he was on the ground.

"Thank you," said Fleur, brushing the dirt off her clothes once she had climbed to her feet. "He seems to have been infected when he touched the wall of the room surrounding the door at Hogwarts. Do you have any cures? And where did you get that sword?"

"It's kind of a long story," said Harry, glancing around at the location he found himself in. The unconscious Krum remained lying on the floor next to the Afanc, which Fleur had just noticed and had begun to inspect. "Oh, that was dead before we got here."

"The blood on your sword would beg to differ."

"Well, we had no choice," said Harry. "But we've got bigger problems on our hands. Krum's a champion. He has to complete the Tournament tasks or else he'll lose all his magic. And we've got to get him back to normal. But how?"

"Find a cure," said Lupin. "Reverse the effect."

"But how do we do that?" Fleur asked.

"Simple," said Harry, a grin lighting up on his face with realisation. "Look around, what do you see."

"I see a cave with a dead monster."

"Yes, but beyond that. I should have mentioned something earlier, notice these markings in the floor by the steps?" Harry asked, gesturing to the floor nearest the steps that he had discovered in the corner of the cave, just out of sight, leading to the surface. "They're a bit more decayed than the rest of the room, but they're perfectly square. Which means something had to be put there to leave the mark."

"The pillars that we saw back at Hogwarts," realised Fleur. "In the room."

"Exactly," Harry said. "Which means what we're standing in… used to be Durmstrang's vault. In here, something was kept hidden from the rest of the world. Something bad. Something that's no longer here anymore."

"But where could it have gone?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "Inside Rosicky, maybe? Something's missing as well. Something big."

"The door?"

" _The door_ ," echoed Harry. "The Door is missing. Assuming there ever was a door, it might have been different, but most wizards aren't exactly imaginative, it would have most likely been the same thing here. I mean if it isn't broke, don't fix it, right? So, the door vanishes. It just vanishes and leaves a monster in its place. However, despite this, the prison's been here a long time. Long enough to corrupt the walls, at least. Infect them with whatever infected the walls back at Hogwarts. So… whatever you're doing here. Don't touch the walls."

Tonks, who was about to lean on one of the walls for support, quickly backed away. "Unless," Harry added. "Your name is Viktor Krum."

"What? That makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense," said Harry. "Krum has already been infected. Putting him back in the wall removes the infection. I mean, put it this way, Mordred can't always have people in his army infected, right? What If someone he needs touches the wall by mistake? He needs a backup plan, a Plan B. So, put them back in the wall to disinfect them, that's my theory. It's the easiest way."

"Got a plan to test that theory, Harry? Don't want to put Viktor back in the wall and find out that he's even more infected than before. Like super infected," Tonks said.

"Well, do you see any options? And we can't exactly bring him back to Hogwarts. Like the Professor said earlier, in this moment, there are no good ideas, only the best of the bad ones."

"Fine. What could go wrong, right?" Tonks said, shrugging.

"Excellent. Nice to see you've come around to my way of thinking. Now… I'm going to need a hand."

Harry, Tonks and Fleur carefully lifted the unconscious Krum into the wall. Instantly, the infected wall took back Krum, extending the dirt between the cracks to form outstretched hands that received back its loyal subject. Krum was unconscious so naturally he was none the wiser to the situation. With Krum's face the only visible part of the wall and the rest of his body submerged completely it didn't take long for Harry's prediction to pay off, and in the end, the wall spat out the Durmstrang champion, who came coughing and wheezing to life.

"So… what did I miss?" Krum couldn't help but ask, cheerfully to the rewarded smiles of Harry, Tonks and Fleur.

"Oh, um, you just blacked out for a bit," said Harry, who glanced back up at the walls around him. A loud, groaning sound seemed to echo around the only part of the castle that was not made of ice, and now, it didn't take him long to see why that groaning sound had transpired. The walls had detected that Krum had been placed in without Mordred's involvement and were now dropping down around the group, trapping them in one specific location. "We can discuss that later. Now might be a good time to run."

There were no disagreements with Harry's preferred method of approach this time.

 **V.**

Professor Lupin was relieved to see all four make it back to the boat intact. He glanced at them as they arrived, checking them over. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Everything's fine, yeah," said Harry. "Are you alright?"

"I didn't have a problem here," he said. "But we might have a bigger one now that we're back on board, I've been checking the dates, and ever since Mordred broke free, something's gone wrong with Durmstrang's isolation system from the outside world, it's playing with time and moving at different, almost random rates."

"What? How's that possible?" Fleur asked.

"I don't know," said Lupin. "But it appears for whatever reason, when we leave, it won't be December anymore. It is… according to all intents and purposes, February the twenty third."

"What? But that's not possible. We were only there for half an hour," insisted Tonks.

"Not anymore," said Lupin. "We were in Durmstrang for a total of almost two months, and to make matters worse, we need to get back by tomorrow afternoon or else you three lose your magic for not competing in the tournament."

"And we have bigger problems," said Krum, glancing at the boat itself, looking it over. Something had happened to it that had somehow escaped the notice of Lupin while he was largely in his cabin with the doors shut, paying attention to the comms and not what was happening on the outside. "This boat… it's not going anywhere. It's dead. Something tampered with it while we were distracted."

"Meaning we're stranded here," finished Harry. "I mean, we could go back into Durmstrang and try and find something that we can either use the floo for or a portkey?"

"Somehow I don't think we're going to have that option," said Tonks, looking behind Harry at the castle. Whatever had infected the walls had spread out from the cave, taking ahold of the rest of the ancient ice castle, and began to drag it down with them into the abyss below. The ice around the castle eventually crumbled, shattering like a broken window, the once mighty Durmstrang being reduced to a shadow of its former self. "Merlin's Beard."

"No, that's just not possible… it can't be." said Fleur, glancing across at Harry, but he could offer no way of explanation as to what they had just witnessed before them on the boat, thankfully standing at a safe distance. Their eyes did deceive them. The great and mighty Durmstrang, with all its history as one of the premiere magical schools in the world, had just been destroyed in a matter of seconds, ripped apart by its cursed foundation. And now, Harry, Fleur, Krum, Lupin and Tonks were stranded on a damaged boat in the middle of nowhere, with no apparent way of getting back to Hogwarts in time for tomorrow's event.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

And yes, they can't apparate because they're still technically within Durmstrang's property which still has the anti-apparition wards in place. So, you're going to have to wait until the next chapter to see how everything is resolved, and here's a hint, it won't involve the use of a Dobby Ex Machina again.

 **Fanfic Recommendation of the Chapter:** Steelbadger's _The Shadow of Angmar,_ which is essential reading for all _Lord of the Rings_ fans and is a brilliant crossover that really works.

 **Film Recommendation of the Chapter:** _The Last Waltz_ from Martin Scorsese. It's a fantastic documentary of one of the most iconic concert albums of all time, The Band's _The Last Waltz,_ and is really good.


	28. 99 Luftballons

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight: 99 Luftballons**

 **I.**

Harry sat down on the deck of the ship, on the port side, looking out at the place where Durmstrang once stood. The once proud castle containing centuries of history had just been wiped out before his eyes. Before today he wondered what would have taken someone like Viktor Krum to shed tears, and he quickly found that he knew the answer. The school had been Krum's home like Hogwarts had been Harry's, and even though it was only a building, it had still played a key part in Harry's life. He wondered how they'd explain the events to the Durmstrang students when they made it back, assuming over the two months they hadn't already been possessed. It still gripped Harry with confusion that some full, solid two monthshad passed in a matter of hours. Even by magical standards, the idea seemed ludicrous. "Well, I hope you guys don't mind living as muggles," said Harry, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat. "Because I've got nothing."

"Living as muggles wouldn't actually be that bad," said Fleur, sitting down next to Harry. "I'd be able to fit in with normal people. I don't think my Veela abilities work on them. Wait… would I lose that ability full stop too? Because Veelas are magical creatures after all."

"I don't know, but I guess at this rate, we'll find out," said Harry. "Maybe I could be an astronaut and go into space one day. I've always wanted to go to the moon. Or the other way around, become a diver. Go to the bottom of the ocean."

" _The bottom of the ocean,_ " Krum repeated Harry's sentence, suddenly. "That's what you said, right? The bottom of the ocean?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I've learned something from watching you these past few hours… or should I say months. You come up with these theories that may or may not work all the time," Krum said. "Often on the spot, and one is always more ludicrous than the other. And nine times out of ten, it works."

"Maybe I'm just lucky."

"This is a bit of a long shot," admitted Krum, "But in times of great hardship, the legend goes that if your boat is trying to escape the water labyrinth after something goes and you are pushed underwater, then the magic embedded in the water will take you to the evacuation point, and self-right the ship, if you will. Nobody's been desperate enough to try it before."

"Self-righting the ship isn't all that we need, we need to get it working."

"Have you tried a Reparo spell?"

"Even with the spell, there's not enough power, energy in the boat to get it working again. It's been robbed of the magic that it needs. So, what I'm proposing… is that we give it back."

"That's fantastic," commented Harry, his eyes widening in realization. "We'll try that. Um.. how are we supposed to tip the boat?"

"We break the walls," said Krum. "There isn't much point in keeping them here anymore now that there's no Durmstrang for them to protect, so we break the walls. The extra flow of water coming in from both sides will create a more turbulent flow, and then we can tip the boat. If it works, we should resubmurge in the portal. If it doesn't, we all die a slow and painful death."

"Apparently drowning's supposed to be a peaceful way to go."

"Only in the last few seconds," said Harry, and realising what he'd just said, added, "Oh, sorry. Yeah, it's really meant to be a peaceful way to go. But with luck… tipping the boat might work."

"Thanks for the comforting advice," Fleur said.

"Okay, here goes nothing," said Krum. "Everybody, point your wands at the wall. With a concentrated simultaneous _Bombarda_ curse fired from multiple wands, we should be able to bring it down. On three."

"Two. One."

 **II.**

Albus Dumbledore looked at the grandfather clock on the third floor. He had spent months transforming the room into an arena, blending the part of the school that had been used to protect the Philospher's Stone several years ago with the third floor in a way that had allowed for a spectators' sport. After advice from the other Heads of House it soon became clear that an underwater rescue was far too dangerous and simply would leave most of the students who had turned up to watch the task unable to see the events unfold, meaning that the next best thing had to be something where they could all see. Acquiring the _Monstra Lava_ had been fairly easy as the owners had wanted to get them off their hands, and now here they were. The captives had been protected with special shielding so they wouldn't be harmed by the Monstra Lava and the floor before them had been charmed so that it would create further obstacles for the students so it wasn't a direct repeat of the first task only with the lack of a dragon. "Albus," Karkaroff greeted him, "I have not seen Viktor for two months now. I understand he is an independent champion and wishes to train alone, but I would have hoped that someone might have spotted him?"

"I was going to bring up to you that the only champion I have seen in two months is young Samuel Potter," said Albus, gesturing to the Boy Who Lived from his high observation platform, who was being led into the makeshift stadium with a loud thunder of applause. "I have been meaning to look into their appearances, but as you know, there are more problematic matters at Hogwarts that have to be dealt with. And they are the Champions after all. They can handle whatever needs to be done on their own."

"I have heard numerous complaints from Severus that Potter is apparently too arrogant to attend his classes," said Karkaroff. "And Viktor has decided to abandon my training personal training sessions with him. Unfortunately, I would have liked to know more about their whereabouts. If my Champion was not so talented, I would have feared the worst. Maybe it is best that he is training in secret after all."

"That is something I considered," admitted Dumbledore. "However, if they do not show up within the next… ten minutes, something will have to be done. The crowd are starting to get anxious."

"I did not fully buy their singing earlier," Karkaroff said. "At the ball, I mean. Maybe there is more to them than meets the eye?"

"It appears we will have to wait and find out," said Dumbledore, as a loud applause from the gathered students filled the air. "But for now, Igor, my friend. We must have a tournament."

 **III.**

"Harry!" a relieved Samuel ran towards them. "I was wondering where you've been these past couple of months."

"I was training," he explained. "And the months kind of flew by, actually. I didn't think it would be that long. So are you ready?"

"To face the lava monsters? I mean, I could have come up with a better name in my sleep," said Sam, smiling. "Like Fireborn, for example. Or Salamanders."

"I like both of those, but I'm fairly certain Salamanders are already a thing," said Harry. "Sorry."

"Damn," said Samuel, glancing down at the open terrain. He could see the monsters in the distance, at the end of the suspended platforms. The platforms themselves were square-shaped, and just through the gaps, the group could see what looked like Devil's Snare beneath. "Devil's Snare. What's the betting these platforms aren't just platforms?"

"That is too cool," said Harry. "Some of them might be traps, so you've got to be careful. My suggestion? Honestly, screw the tournament. At this point I don't care who wins. We work as a team, get whatever the end objective is, show the world why we should be working together rather than apart, and then go and tell Dumbledore about Mordred if he doesn't already know."

"Wait, Mordred?" Sam said, raising an eyebrow. "You _haven't_ been training these past two months, have you?"

"We've been trying to save the world, do keep up, Sam," said Harry. Moody approached in the background, with his wand held at the ready to start the competition, with Bagman in the crowd.

" _And Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the second round of the tournament! Whilst the unexplained absences of our champions for the past couple of months will be investigated following the conclusion of the task, it appears they have arrived and are ready to be told the nature of the task,_ " Bagman said. " _Before them, they face a series of obstacles in an open arena where anything can happen. The perfect spectator sport, if you will. At the end of the arena lies three Monstra lava, fearsome creatures born of fire, yet different from that of the dragons that came before. Each champion has been assigned somebody dear to them, and they must reclaim them within the hour, or all will be lost."_

"Someone dear," Harry echoed, glancing across at Sam. "So, we have to go on a rescue mission."

"Essentially," said Sam. "I thought you guys found out what the full message of the egg?"

"We were kind of busy," said Harry. "Sorry. I did work out that it was the lava monsters though."

"Can't we just call them Salamanders? It would be a hell of a lot cooler."

"How would you like it if someone else started calling themselves Samuel Potter without telling you anything about it?"

"I guarantee there's someone else called Samuel Potter out there, so I personally wouldn't mind. In the muggle world I might not even be the most famous one."

"Well, I did do a search on your name out of curiosity, and I got a United States senator and that was about it."

"Oh. What's a United States Senator?"

"I'll tell you later," said Harry, as Bagman began making his final speech.

" _Champions, Are you ready? Today is the day for heroes!"_ announced Bagman. " _Today is the day to prove your worth! This is a race, so unlike the previous tournament, you will start all at the same time. When Professor Moody…"_

Moody, acting on instinct, fired a blast from his wand into the air, and green smoke illuminated the ceiling of the enlarged room. He looked at Bagman up in the stands by way of apologising, but it was too late, " _Never Mind. Let the games begin!"_

Harry looked at Fleur, and nodded, advancing into the arena, testing the platforms that they stood on. The first one that he stood on wobbled, and plunged down a good several feet. Several seconds later once everyone else had picked their platform, the entire grid began to adjust in height and position, some falling as low as the Devil's Snare, others as high as the ceiling. Seeing one nearby him, Harry made the jump, and was helped up by Sam, who was nearby on the second one. "Well, that certainly makes things interesting," said Sam, glancing around at the confused crowd reaction. "I think they were expecting me to push you off."

"Well, I'd hate to disappoint them," said Harry, smiling, glancing below him to spot that a moving platform was just below him. "Go on, hit me! What are you waiting for?"

"I thought you said this was a team effort?"

"And here's your role in the team," said Harry, smiling. Sam responded instantly, firing a spell at Harry who allowed himself to be hit as he was blasted back onto the platform beneath them, the Gryffindor House bursting into applause for The Boy Who Lived. Harry had played this to his advantage however, and now had lined up against two moving platforms, allowing himself to jump ahead of his brother. He caught up with Krum, who was balancing on a false one that seemed to be getting smaller and smaller.

"I thought the whole idea here was about teamwork?" Krum more or less echoed Sam's statement.

"Well, the crowd want a competition, so we'll do our best to make it look like a competition, whilst still working as a team," said Harry. "That way, we all get to the end, defeat the Salamanders, and then…"

"I thought they were Monstra lava," said Krum, but shrugged, and said, "Never mind. So how are we doing this?"

"Simple," said Harry, and pushed Krum backwards off the platform. As he fell, Harry cried out after him, "Like this!"

He had, like earlier, timed it perfectly. Instantly Krum was on his feet and allowed to push forward. Harry had to wait a minute for another platform to come around which put him dangerously close to the bottom of the arena where the Devil's Snare stood, waiting. It sensed prey and Harry could see the plants beginning to ascend around of the platform, which wasn't getting any higher. The other one unfortunately, was still too far away. Thankfully, the roots of The Devil's Snare were thick, and if he timed his jump _just_ right, he could make it across. Otherwise it would be game over for him. He waited another few seconds to make the jump, bouncing off the thick exposed roots of the magical plant, and eventually hauled himself onto the platform, which shot up back to where everyone was in a matter of seconds. He could see Krum already at the first major obstacle, a ladder large ladder climb where the ladder seemed to go around like a revolving door, stretching across the arena so that there was no way of escaping it. If he wasn't quick enough to get to the top he would be sucked down into the Devil's Snare below. He made the climb, and Fleur followed. Harry was about half a minute behind, coming up at the same time as Sam. However, on the way up, Harry tripped, almost falling down, only to be caught by his brother. "Guess I didn't get the memo," said Sam, hauling him up with him to a few boos from the more zealous Gryffindor students once they reached the top. "You think I'm letting another Hogwarts student fail?"

"As if I was going to fail, I had a backup plan," said Harry, lying. He didn't, but he was fairly sure he could improvise before he reached the bottom. Improvising was all part of the job after all. "Okay, let's see what's on the other side…"

"Oh great," said Sam, glancing at the zip wires that led down to the floor below. It reminded Harry of a muggle assault course and he wondered if his mother had something to do with the design of the course due to her upbringing near a military base as a young child. The zipwires seemingly led down to the Devil's Snare which continued on beneath them, but then there were more moving platforms, which led to a series of tunnels into a different section of the course that appeared to go in different directions. Harry himself took the third zipwire on the right, the one closest to him, that took him down to a nearby platform. So far, all of the champions were making good time on the course, but to make matters worse, spells seemed to be firing out of various holes on either side of the nearest wall at them whilst the zip wire kept on bringing them down to the bottom. Harry had to twist and turn in his harness, blocking them. All four champions made it across, landing on the platforms at more or less the same time.

"Okay, so through here are the _Monstra Lava,_ " said Harry. "Or Salamanders. The name actually grows on me the more I say it. So, are we going to do this together, or do you want to play for the win?"

"Together," said Sam, and Krum and Fleur nodded. "Alright, so how are we going to do this? I don't know where the tunnels go."

"Well, after me," Harry said. "I'll see you on the other side."

 **IV.**

Harry came out of the tunnel on the other side and was almost burnt to a crisp by the Monstra Lava, dodging at the last second and using a cooling spell on himself. He turned to see Sam come out of a nearby tunnel, landing on the platform, and then got his first visible sight of the hostages on the opposite side of the room that they were in. Mercifully the platforms were larger and less mobile than the ones that had come before, although that said, they did move. It didn't take long to deduce which hostage belonged to who, Fleur's was her younger sister, Gabrielle, who was by the looks of things, still under the influence of Mordred, not that there was anything that could be done about it right now, and then next for Krum there was Hermione Granger, his date at the Yule Ball. He presumed that Melanie, Sam's date at the Yule Ball, was his hostage, which naturally put Harper as the hostage for Harry.

"So how do you want to play this?" Sam asked, sizing up the terrifying beast in front of them. It was smaller than a dragon but if that were possible it looked more intimidating, arching back on its hind legs. "There's four of them and only two of us I don't see Krum or Fleur yet."

"We're here," said Fleur, crawling out of a tunnel, and pulled Krum out after her. "Our tunnels both collided and we landed on top of each other for a second. But we seem to have escaped the worst… _merde._ They do look more terrifying in the flesh."

"Alright," said Harry, glancing up at the ceiling above and then back at the monsters. "Did anyone do any research as to how to distract these things?"

"They like humans," said Sam. "Seriously though, _where were_ you the past two months?"

"Saving the world, like I said. Or failing to," said Harry. "But I'll explain later, right now… we've got to get through that wall of monsters."

"I've got an idea," said Harry, glancing down below through the gaps to see another layer of platforms below. "But it's not going to be easy."

"Why's that?"

"Everyone goes down whilst one person remains up here and tries and distracts them."

"What? That's insane! No way!" multiple reactions emerged at once, mainly from Fleur and Sam. Krum merely shrugged.

"You are misunderstanding the term competition," pointed out Krum. "But if you lose points while we get them, that's fine by me. Come on. We need to move. We haven't got that much time left."

Harry nodded, and turned around to face the four monsters, the Salamanders, the Monstra Lava, whatever the hell they were called, and although he was able to land a few blows at one target, he was quickly overwhelmed, pushed back, and found himself falling into the merciful abyss of the Devil's Snare below. He let himself relax, having one look up at his friends and brother, before falling through the Snare into the ground below, where Dumbledore stood waiting for him. "Harry, my boy."

"There's something I need to tell you, Professor," said Harry, urgently, glancing around the room and was relieved to find that there was nobody else in sight at least for now. "Something urgent. Durmstrang has fallen."

"Durmstrang? Are you sure?"

"We were there," said Harry, "All of us, that's why we weren't there for so long, it trapped us in a time-loop and messed with our sense of time. We were only there for a matter of hours. Or at least we thought we were."

"My dear boy, whatever were you doing in Durmstrang in the first place?" Dumbledore said.

"It's complicated," said Harry. "There's far too much to explain, but Hogwarts is in danger. We're threatened by a greater enemy than we've ever faced before, possibly even Voldemort. Headmaster… what if I told you, Mordred was returning?"

"I would believe you," said Dumbledore, honestly. "Do you not think I know of the strange comings and goings in my castle? I have done my best to intervene, stall the recruitment process, even sending Minerva to intervene myself, but I fear she too has been corrupted. Honestly, my main focus has been on Voldemort and the Triwizard Tournament. Dealing with Mordred as well, at such a crucial time in the Wizarding World... It is an impossible feat for one man, even myself."

"We need to do something," said Harry, glancing over at the rapidly approaching Professors, among them, McGonagall, who was potentially a member of the Cult if Dumbledore's theory was correct. "We can't just sit back and watch."

"Mr. Potter," said McGonagall, addressing him. "You put yourself in severe danger, what were you thinking? You could have been killed."

"Good thing I wasn't."

"Yes. A good thing indeed," McGonagall said, clearing her throat. She was with Madam Pomfrey, as well as Rita Skeeter. James and Lily followed suit close behind.

"Harry! Are you alright?" this was Lily who asked the question.

"Mostly," he said. "Took a bit of a hard landing. I guess I took one for the team though."

"You did," said a voice from behind him and Harry turned around to see Krum, Fleur and Sam floating down through the Devil's Snare with their hostages intact. "The diversion worked, thanks, Harry."

"Diversion," scowled Igor Karkaroff. "This is a _competition._ Not teambuilding exercise. Viktor. Come, quickly. We must talk about this once the judges see fit to determine the scores. And you must also explain your absence for the past two months. You were lucky that you decided to show at the tournament at all."

"Headmaster," Viktor said. "With the deepest respect, I have something to tell you that you would like to know very much."

"Can it wait?"

"Not for very long."

"We can talk about this in my quarters after the vote," said Karkaroff. "Come quickly. We must announce _something_ soon; the crowd are beginning to wonder what is going on. I trust you have a good explanation for all of this."

He didn't wait for Krum to respond, leading the way with everyone else following. Questions were asked on the way about whereabouts but by the time they got to the stands, everyone fell silent, realising that in the middle of the task was not the best place to explain. "Now, the judges," announced Bagman to the crowd. "First up. Durmstrang, Viktor Krum!"

 **V.**

After much deliberation, the judges decided that as it was a group effort it would be unfair to give someone more points over the other, no matter how much Karkaroff tried to intervene in favour of Krum. One by one, everyone was awarded the same score, keeping the points the same going into the final round, and it was Harry who came down last, having been rewarded for his self-sacrifice, to be greeted by Harper and Sam who were waiting for him. "Okay, well that was admittedly, rather unconventional," said Harry, glancing across at his siblings. "But we did it."

"So are you going to tell me where you were in the past two months now Harry?" Harper said, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. Harry tried to come up with an answer but couldn't help but linger on what his father was saying to Moody in the corner of the room that they were currently in, doing his best not to pretend to listen.

"Mr. Potter," Moody said, taking a drink. "I have news that you might want to hear. The Ministry is relatively understaffed, is it not?"

"At the moment. Most of the staff are helping with the Triwizard Tournament or on weekend leave," explained James. "The only people there are guarding the Spear."

"Ah," said Moody. "Then I fear you may want to get to the Department of Mysteries as soon as possible."

"Why's that?"

"The Ministry is under attack from the Death Eaters, according to a floo message I received moments ago from Auror Chamberlain," explained Moody. "You're needed there, and I suggest you bring the Task Force as well. I would be willing to assist if needed."

" _What_?" James exclaimed, earning looks from Harper and Sam who hadn't heard the conversation. Harry himself knew that no matter what Mordred was doing here, if the Death Eaters got their hands on the Spear of Destiny, it would be ten times worse, as he dared to imagine a world where the Death Eaters had the ability to mould reality in their own image. Whilst on paper Mordred was more powerful than an organization that was currently one Voldemort short, Mordred's faction was still very much one Mordred short at the moment and as a result it was a relatively even struggle between the two forces on paper. If they introduced the Spear of Destiny into the picture then things would tilt in favour of Voldemort's underlings. "Okay. I need to get Sirius. Damn. Why did I send him off to guard the grounds near Hagrid's hut? That's ages away, and I need to talk to the Headmaster first."

An idea formed in Harry's head suddenly. In his pockets, he kept a vial of polyjuice potion, a different make that was essentially a more portable version. All he needed was to put a hair in the drink and stir it for a few seconds, rather than go through the whole process, even if it would only last an hour. He could never help the Ministry as the Man in the Suit, but as Sirius Black, he most certainly could achieve something like that. He knew a shortcut too, something that James wouldn't take and had probably after all these years, forgotten about. He just needed to get an excuse to disappear, and although it was cheesy, he couldn't help but embrace the opportunity presented by the situation at hand with Harper and Sam. "Hey, look over there! Merlin's Beard, did you see that?"

He pointed in the direction over Sam and Harper's shoulders, and his two siblings instantly fell for it. He took off and ran, at a quick pace, and was able to get to the otherside of the castle before James had even finished talking with Dumbledore. "Professor," Harry spoke into his earpiece, addressing Lupin. "If you're at the Castle, I need you to slow James down. Make sure he doesn't get to Sirius before I can take the Polyjuice."

"Wait, what, why?"

"The Ministry's under attack and I'm going to pose as Sirius to help save it," said Harry. "I can't go as the Man in the Suit because then they'll just attack me."

"Fine," said Lupin. "How long do you need?"

"Five minutes, I'm almost there," Harry said, noticing Sirius walking by Hagrid's hut. Knowing that Hagrid was currently helping up with the beasts back on the Triwizard Stage, he didn't have to worry about being disturbed by anyone else. Sirius was currently kicking the dirt in frustration at missing out on the cup, so he was easily distracted with a simple stunner. Harry himself found stealing the hair rather straightforward, and within seconds, he found himself morphing into Sirius Black. After borrowing the clothes, he left the man tied largely naked to a tree stump, knowing that although he was unconscious now, it wouldn't be too long before someone, namely Hagrid, found him. Once his clothes were firmly in place, Harry walked back out from the trees, now fully disguised as Sirius Black.

"Taking a leak?" James couldn't help but ask him as he approached seconds later. Harry nodded, feeling awkward in these clothes. He kept both his and Sirius' wands, just in case, and did his best to look surprised as James told him that the Ministry was under attack. "Alright. Let's go. We've got a Spear to save."

 **VI.**

Back at Hogwarts, a frustrated Harper Potter found herself kicking a knight as she made her way up the hallway with Sam and Melanie in the background. "I can't believe this. He shows up after two months with a _vague_ explanation, I don't know. It's unbelievable. Just as we're starting to get our family back together again. Where are we going, anyway, Sam? You mentioned something about Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall as they turned the corner into the Transfiguration Office. She had left quickly as well after the tournament finished, and returned to her office to prepare for her next class. Or so it had seemed. "I believe you have an appointment."

"I do? Concerning what?" Harper shot a glance behind her and worryingly, couldn't help but act alarmed at Sam and Melanie standing by the door, blocking any possible attempt at escape. _Trust nobody,_ she remembered being told. A growing look of realization dawned on her face as she put the conclusions together one by one, her expression on her face turning into horror. "Oh, you have to be freaking kidding me. Again?"

She tried to go to her wand, but instantly, Sam fired a spell from his at his sister, knocking her unconscious on the floor. "I'm sorry, sister. But you were always going to join us. It was just a matter of time."

Melanie had been the one to brainwash Sam shortly before the events of the second task, having been one of the few students who had been converted herself from the get go. She had been playing the long con, it had turned out, but once Sam had seen the light of Mordred, he didn't mind that his girlfriend had been lying to him. Now, nothing else mattered but making sure that his master was free. "My brother was apparently in Durmstrang," said Sam. "He mentioned something about The Master."

"He was with the other champions, correct?" Melanie said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"Then we must target them next."

"Actually, I have a better idea," said McGonagall. "They are just pawns, after all. To use Chess as a metaphor, the pawns are expendable. We should be concentrating our efforts on the King."

"I know who you are talking about," said Sam. "He will be tough to defeat, but every person has a weakness. Luckily for us, I know his."

"And who might that be?"

"Well, myself and my sister, of course," said Sam, with a smile on his face. "He thinks he can protect this school, and protect everyone inside it but he is far too naïve to see the danger lurking right under his nose. He has planned for the long game, but in this moment, he has failed to take into account elements such as luck and chance. Rogue elements that can be brought into play to change the board."

"So, I'm assuming you have an idea as to how to stop Albus Dumbledore?"

"I wouldn't say _stop,_ exactly," said Sam, glancing up from the nearby window at the tower that contained the Headmaster. It had started raining, and now it was clear what had to be done. "I always thought that a mind such as his might be a valuable asset to our cause. Here's how I would rephrase that sentence, Professor. I do have an idea as to how to _convert_ Albus Dumbledore."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

So, we have the pieces put into place now, with just one more domino left to fall. The Triwizard tournament itself is something that I never intended to be the main focus of the fic so that's why it's not really developed that much beyond a generic monster and a generic team plot. I wanted to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. I'm sure more of the staff would have put in more enquires as to Harry and the team's whereabouts, but given recent events, everybody was rushing to get from one place to another so there wasn't enough time for a proper investigation to be launched. Dumbledore was planning to talk to Harry later where they could talk about Mordred, but the more immediate threat needs to be dealt with first.

 **Film Recommendation of the Chapter:** Patty Jenkins' _Wonder Woman_! It's an amazing movie. Just go and see of the better superhero movies out there.

 **Fic Recommendation of the Chapter:** H.P. Birdman's _The Rezidentura,_ which sees Harry raised by Natasha Romanoff, The Black Widow, herself. It's fun Avengers crossover.


	29. House of the Rising Sun

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine: House of the Rising Sun**

 **I.**

 _ **Several Years Later.**_

A small house in Cornwall was fairly remote and out of the way when the young man, with headphones in his ears, arrived at the doorstep, carrying the newspaper, the latest edition of _The Guardian,_ with him on his bicycle. He was to all intents and purposes, a delivery boy, doing his rounds. He'd come to this house out of curiosity, more than anything, after a chance meeting with a middle-aged woman in her early forties, who was, despite the age, apparently pregnant. The house itself was out of his league too, he was never going to be able to afford the rather luxuries building that looked like it had been fairly expensive on the property market, despite its fairly old-fashioned look and feel. There were no garages and no sign of any car, which was odd, especially when this was the type of neighbourhood that you needed a car to go anywhere because the buses were far too unreliable and the nearest town was too far away to walk. The music, _God Only Knows_ from The Beach Boys, a favourite of his father's, was quickly switched off when he approached the wooden door, and knocked three times.

The door remained close for a matter of minutes before being opened, revealing an old man who was waiting for him. The man himself boasted old, tired and greying hair, and he was clearly frustrated with the young boy's presence before him. "What do you want?" he growled. "Can't you see the sign?"

The boy turned around to the sign, which said _No Visitors._ "Sorry. I just wanted to deliver the paper."

"I don't normally get papers. I can't remember the last time I bought one. Sorry, kid."

"Oh, and I also wanted to ask you something," said the boy. "Does the name Harry Potter mean anything to you? There's a woman in town, she was walking around with a picture of him and wondering if anyone had seen him. I was checking people's houses to see if they knew, and yours was the last one on my list."

"I thought you were selling papers."

"I was, as well."

"Hmm. Is it really twenty-twenty four?" the man raised an eyebrow, glancing across at the boy with confusion. "And you still use bicycles?"

"Well, we're not quite at The Bell Riots just yet," said the boy, wondering how the man could possibly _not_ know what year it was. The boy noticed that the man was clearly not a fan of classic television as well, with the casual _Star Trek_ _Deep Space Nine_ reference passing him by. Maybe he conceded, it was a bit too obscure. "I'm sorry. You never said. Does the name Harry Potter mean anything to you? It's just, I kind of promised the woman that I'd give her my answer."

"Unfortunately, son, you've come to the wrong place," said Remus Lupin, glancing down at the young boy. "No. I must admit; the name Harry Potter does not mean anything to me. I don't know him."

"Well, if you ever change your mind," said the boy. "The woman said she'd be in town at the record store until tomorrow evening, she's staying with a friend who works there. She says she'd love to see him again. I mean, even if you don't know where he is, you might know someone who does."

"Interesting," said Lupin. "This woman, she didn't happen to leave a name, did she?"

"As a matter of fact she did," said the boy. "Harper Potter, sir. I was wondering if they might be related. She didn't say, so I guessed so."

"Harper Potter?" said Lupin, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I must say, you have certainly come to the wrong place. That name does not ring a bell at all."

 **II.**

 _ **Now.**_

Albus Dumbledore heard the knock on the door, and wasn't surprised, but no less alarmed, to see McGonagall enter, bringing the Potter twins in tow. They formed a horizontal line across the doorway in front of him, with McGonagall at the centre and both twins on either side. "Ah, Minerva. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I think you are smart enough to know why I am here, Albus," said McGonagall, dropping the pretence of being her normal self almost instantly. She knew that Dumbledore knew, or at least suspected that she was brainwashed, and there was no need to keep up the façade. "I come on behalf of someone far greater than you or I."

"Far more terrible, you mean," Dumbledore corrected her. "I assume I am addressing the so-called Mordred right now?"

" _So-called_ ," Minerva said, although it was not in her own voice, but the voice of another. " _How dare you address me by that. I am the greatest wizard to ever have walked this Earth. I brought an end to Camelot, the greatest of Kingdoms. My very name sparks fear into any creature old enough to remember my time on this wretched Earth. Your Dark Lord is nothing but a misguided child compared to the devastation that I can unleash upon this world. He is nothing more than a fraud, a pretender, not worthy of the title._ "

"Well in that case, know that you will be stopped. Maybe not by me, not today or maybe not even tomorrow, but know this. There will always be people who are willing to fight you. To stop you. I will do my utmost to fight you, even if it means sacrificing my life as a consequence. You have already lost, Mordred. You just don't know it yet."

" _Foolish old man. You know you cannot win,_ " Mordred spoke. " _And after all, how will your allies be able to stop me… when they're too busy stopping you_?"

"You are mistaken. I will never join you."

Minerva opened her mouth, and Mordred spoke again. " _I am never wrong, Dumbledore. I did bring your Chosen One here after all for a reason."_

Like puppets, both Samuel and Harper raised knives from behind their backs and began to hold them to each other's throat. Minerva went for her wand, before Dumbledore could go to his, just in case he could try something, she would distract him. Dumbledore put the scenarios together and saw no other outcome that even one as powerful as him would not be able to stop his transfiguration teacher _and_ save the siblings. And if Samuel was killed by his own hand, then not only would his parents never forgive Dumbledore, but also, there would be no way of stopping Voldemort. "Don't think I won't do it, Headmaster," Samuel said. "You know I will. You know what you have to do."

Fawkes gave a cry of despair, sensing that his master was in danger. However, before he could swoop down, Minerva waved her wand, and a cage appeared around the bird within seconds that even a Phoenix could not break. " _A Phoenix. How cute,_ " said Mordred. " _I used to deal with dragons on a daily basis. Do you not think I knew how do stop a creature that was far more powerful in my time?"_

Fawkes vanished from view, leaving the room behind. "It looks like Fawkes still has a few tricks up his sleeve," said Dumbledore with a smile. "His help is needed elsewhere."

"Lay down your wand, please. You attempt to flee the situation, or if your bird returns with reinforcements in any shape or form," Mordred said, "You know what this means."

"I do," said Dumbledore, with a nod. "I will never stop resisting you, Mordred. You may have control over me but you will never know the full secrets of my mind."

"Oh? Once I control your mind I will have full access to all its secrets. There is nothing you can do to stop me."

" _Obliviate,"_ Dumbledore said, pointing the wand directly at himself, knowing that the best he could do in this situation was prevent Mordred from finding out anything else that he could, anything that might be dangerous information in the wrong hands, in his mind.

" _No!"_ The frustration that Mordred was displaying was evident in his face.

"What do we do now, Master?" Sam asked, glancing up at his leader, and then across at a dazed and confused Dumbledore, who was trying to wonder where he was."

" _Never mind. Our plans are far from ruined, gaining extra knowledge from a great mind would only have been a luxury that we can afford to do without. We still have Albus Dumbledore, who even without his mind, his name and status still carries weight in the wizarding world. We just have to tell him what to do… and point him in the right direction."_

 **III.**

Harry, disguised as Sirius, arrived at Department of Mysteries with James to find it empty. The defences were still in place around the Spear, and the guard, a former resident of Bosnia having left because of the muggle war that had spilled into muggle territory, named Sead Milik, was still standing tall on duty. "Sirs," he said, in broken English. "What brings you here?"

"Apparently it looks like the news about the attack on the Ministry was nothing more than a fake," said James, turning to Harry. "Looks like Moody's still in the prank-pulling business. Good job I told the others to wait outside. Saves me the embarrassment."

"I wouldn't be so sure," mused Harry. "Besides… why would _Moody_ of all people know? He's been at Hogwarts for the whole year, he doesn't have any connections within the Death Eaters… unless…"

"Moody's not Moody," an expression dawned on James' face. "I knew there was something more to that attack the day before he came to Hogwarts. I should have investigated further but that explains what he's been drinking all year. Polyjuice. The question is… who could it be?"

"Looks like we're about to find out," said Harry, glancing across the hallway at where they had just come. Dozens of Inferni poured down the hallway, covering it with the bodies of the dead. "These guys just can't catch a break, can they?"

"Inferni, well that's just _great_ ," said James, glancing to Sead. "There's an apparition point for Ministry personnel in the hallway back there, I need you to guard it in case it's compromised."

"But what about the Inferni?"

"We can take care of that. It'll be just like the old days, won't it Sirius?"

"Yeah, you and me, fighting back to back," said Harry, hoping that James wasn't about to question him. He didn't.

"Okay, so how do you want to play this?"

"Well I think we can at least use a little bit of style. I've been talking to Harry recently, and he said that fighting with music is a pretty great way of doing it. Muggle music, especially," said Harry, feeling weird that he had just addressed to himself in first person. "He gave me this, too."

"What's that?"

"Some kind of music player."

"Well, let's hit it. I'll have something to talk to my son to about the next time we chat," said James, not realising that he was talking to Harry. "Besides, it'll liven up the atmosphere."

"Alright," said Harry, and pressed play as James fired his wand. Instantly, the room plunged into darkness so the Inferni would not get a clear sight vision, and the spells fired by James and Sirius only served to light up the room. The music was amplified around the room using the same spell that Harry had achieved with _Safety Dance_ earlier in the year, and was disappointed to find out that the wizards had come up with a way to shut it down from its endless loop. Instead _Safety Dance_ was gone, replaced by Jim Croce's _I Got A Name._ The music began to play throughout the course of the fight, and it wasn't long before James and Harry were pushed back into the room with the Spear, outnumbered by the endless force of the Inferni. They had held their edge for a while, but the numbers just kept on coming, and they were running out of room between them and the Spear.

" _Bombarda_!" Harry said, casting a spell that blasted of the Inferni near him into smithereens, and he watched James unleash torrent after torrent of spell that showed just how good his father was, and it was clear why his parents had successfully stood up to Voldemort back in the last Wizarding War so many times. This was a man who was good at what he did, why he earned the Chief Auror post was clear to anyone in the room, and as he watched James withstand the Inferni, he knew that his father had talent. Multiple spells fired at the zombie-esque beings, but that did not stop more from coming towards them and eventually, James was forced to duck behind the suspended Spear for cover, careful not to touch it.

"Do you have a way of contacting reinforcements?"

"Not without getting to Sead," said James. "What about you?"

"No," said Harry, realising that he'd left his earpieces in the jacket that he'd left behind when he was taking Sirius'. Besides, he couldn't really use them without blowing both his and Lupin's cover. "So I guess this it, huh? Want to go out like Butch and Sundance?"

James raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, a muggle movie," Harry said, and James nodded in understanding.

"I think we both know that you're not Sirius Black," said James, as Harry realised his mistake of slipping back into his old ways of referencing muggle culture, something that he could not do as Sirius, who was still very much part of pureblood culture. He probably should have put more thought into protecting the disguise, but at this point, he honestly admitted to himself that he didn't really care that much what happened next. "I never thought I'd get the chance to fight alongside my son. For what it's worth, you being The Man in the Suit? I don't care anymore. I'm proud of you for what you've achieved. Tell me… was all of this on your own or did you have help?"

"I suppose the game's up," said Harry. "I had help from Professor Lupin. You know that you've arrested the wrong guy, right?"

"I do," James said. "But he was on criminal charges anyway and we busted him for reasons that didn't have to do with The Man in the Suit. I knew you wouldn't stoop to that level of pretty crime, you're too honourable for that. There's too much of your mother in you."

Harry fired another couple of spells back in the direction of the Inferni. "Well, that's better than not arresting me on first sight, I guess."

"I've come to the conclusion that you're more valuable on my side, for now, at least," James said. "Plus, don't forget, you are my son, after all."

"Well, we're not out of the woods yet," Harry said. "We'll have to save that for later And there's trouble back at Hogwarts that we need to attend to."

"What kind?"

"Too much to go into now. Let's just say it makes Voldemort look like a child in comparison," said Harry, causing James to pale.

"Merlin's Beard."

"Something along those lines, yes," said Harry. "But none of that matters unless we stop the Death Eaters from getting the Spear of Destiny."

"Speaking of Death Eaters, I still haven't seen any yet," said James, glancing around at the room. "You'd think there'd be at least one with the Inferni."

Suddenly, before Harry and James could counter another spell, a bright light filled the room from behind them. They looked up to see Fawkes the Phoenix, having appeared out of nowhere in front of them, called to their aid in their darkest hour. Light filled the room, fire descended from the heavens and the Inferni were vanquished in an all-consuming blast of flame from the Phoenix, that didn't hold anything back in unleashing its fury against creatures it deemed to be the enemy. "Fawkes!" Harry couldn't help but look excited at the Phoenix's appearance, but noticing its look of discomfort, realised that something was wrong. "Oh no. Dumbledore."

"What?"

"The only reason why Fawkes is here is because Hogwarts has fallen," Harry said, recognising the message conveyed by the Phoenix. "We have to go, and we have to take the Spear with us. It's not safe here."

"And you're going to take it into even greater danger than before?" asked James, clearly sceptical.

"Well, obviously it's not safe at the Ministry," said Harry. "Two attacks already. There's going to be a third. Plus, maybe, if the Death Eaters do come for Hogwarts, they can keep Mordred busy while we work out how to stop him. And there's always Dumbledore."

Fawkes shook his head, as Harry understood what that implied by the Phoenix's distraught, sad reaction. "Okay, there's no Dumbledore."

"Wait, Dumbledore's dead?" James immediately feared the worst.

"No," translating the other shake of Fawkes' head. "But judging by Fawkes' reaction, I think it can be safe to assume that Mordred has made his move. Hogwarts has fallen… and Dumbledore with it."

"What about Lily? And your siblings? We need to get back there now."

"Hopefully, they've gotten out in time," said Harry. "But yeah, that's where we're going, now. It's just that there's one problem."

"What's that?"

"Getting out of the Ministry is going to take a while. There's Inferni everywhere. Fawkes may have taken out the group in the Department of Mysteries, but the Ministry's overrun. We'll have to clear that first."

"With the Spear?"

"I don't know how to use it, but it's a good idea not to touch it," said Harry. "Do you have any gloves?"

"Does it look like I have any gloves? You're a wizard. Transfigure them," instructed James. Harry followed his instructions, and clasped the Spear, removing from its protective influence that kept it suspended in place. It felt heavy in his hands and he spun it around like a dual-wielded lightsaber for a second. "Just to let you know, you are holding _the most powerful weapon in existence._ For the love of Merlin,I'd appreciate it if you tried not to drop it."

"Don't worry," said Harry, protected from its influence as long as it didn't touch his exposed skin. "I know what I'm dealing with here."

"What about Sirius?" James asked, raising an eyebrow at Harry. "Is he okay?"

"I presume so," said Harry. "I stunned him and left him on the outside of the Forbidden Forest near Hagrid's hut. If Hagrid hasn't found him by now…"

"You're wearing his clothes?"

"Yes."

"Did you leave him any spare?"

"No."

"He's going to hate you for that," James smiled, but couldn't help but laugh at this. He had been a prankster in his childhood, after all. "Alright. Let's hit the road. Here's a game me and Sirius used to play when we fought Inferni in the War. See how many you can kill. The loser buys the winner a drink."

"I'll hold you to that," said Harry. "I think I'm going to need one after this."

Father and son walked out the door, Fawkes following suit, as the music continued to play.

 **IV.**

Students, teachers and staff from all three schools made their way into the Great Hall. A few were looking confused but mostly relieved as to being pulled from their classes, and as the teachers shuffled up the steps, they began to wonder why there were glasses filled with what looked like water in front of them. By this point, around fifty per cent of Hogwarts had fallen under Mordred's brainwashing charms, so they seemed to be less confused than the others, but there was no way of knowing to the outsider what was going on, so their lack of reaction was perfectly understandable at this point. In the Great Hall, Harper and Sam sat next to each other. "That's pretty much everyone," confirmed Sam, keeping his voice low. "We're only missing two of the champions, and two of our relatives. Plus, Sirius Black."

"Don't worry," Harper replied. "If they're not here immediately, we can convert them later. Having the sheer weight of numbers on our hand will make converting certain individuals a lot easier than expected."

"Very well," said Sam. "Then let the speech begin."

Dumbledore stood up to address the crowd. "You are probably wondering why I have gathered you all here on such short notice, and for that I must appreciate you for complying with an old man's wishes. With recent developments, I must disclose that there has been a new curse that has spread around Hogwarts. Several students appear to have already been infected. But do not worry. They are being provided with the cure as I speak to you now. And in this moment, I have been fortunate enough to have access to a pre-emptive potion that can prevent anyone in the castle from even being infected by Epimetheus' Folly in the first place. You must understand that it is compulsory that everyone takes this potion as soon as possible, to prevent the curse from spreading, of course."

A few whispers ran around the room, a few voices of objections at taking an unfamiliar substance. "To prove that I am not trying to convince you to take a suspicious substance, I have asked several volunteers who I place my utmost trust in, to take the cure as an example and lead the way. If these students could possibly stand up before us now, and take the swig from the glass, that would be greatly appreciated," Dumbledore declared.

Harper and Sam stood up, followed by several others, multiple students from various houses and the two schools, and even Minerva herself, one by-one. They raised the glass, and took a swig. "Now, what does it taste like, Samuel?" Dumbledore addressed the Boy Who Lived, knowing that was who students would put their faith in the most.

"Water, Headmaster."

"Well there you have it," said Dumbledore, sensing that he was winning over the crowd. The combined array of support from different friend groups really helped matters in convincing the student body that this was genuine, and converting the son of an influential Death Eater early on had been one of the main strengths of the campaign of corruption. "No poison. Just a cure. No after-effects. I can reveal that I myself have taken the cure three days ago, and have not currently experienced any ill-treatments from its process. You will barely notice any difference, and best of all, you no longer have to be worried about ever being affected by Epimetheus' Folly. Please, take it. I insist. Toast to whoever you want."

Before calling the meeting, McGonagall had put a compulsion spell on the multiple tables and chairs to make sure that anyone who sat in them was more likely to follow Dumbledore's bidding, so gradually, around the room, they began to take the apparent antidote one by one. Sooner, rather than later, everyone had fallen, even proud, independent figures like Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape. By the end, the already-corrupted stood around the unconscious bodies of their new comrades, and in a matter of half an hour, the great school of Hogwarts, with all its ancient history looming over it as one of the finest wizarding schools that the world had ever seen, would never be the same again.

 **V.**

A bloodied, tired and exhausted father and son made their way to the entrance of the Ministry of Magic, leaving corridors of Inferni corpses behind them. "One hundred and thirty," Harry concluded, resting the Spear down on the floor. It too was covered in blood, and because no human flesh had touched it, it served its purpose as nothing more than just a weapon, something that James was surprised that Harry actually knew how to use. "What about you?"

James brought down the last Inferni by the door. "One hundred and twenty-one. I guess the next rounds on me. Um. Harry, I should probably tell you… but your pocket appears to be on fire."

"Oh no, that's not good," Harry said, feeling the pain seconds later, and quickly put it out with his wand, withdrawing the charred remains of parchment that was left behind. " _No. No. No. No._ "

"What's that?" James glanced over Harry's shoulder at the ruined remains of Slytherin's map.

"You want to know how I got around so quickly?" Harry said, gesturing at the parchment. "That was it. The map. It told me who was in danger and where they'd be, often before the danger happened."

"That is… remarkable," said James. "Did you create it?"

"No, I just borrowed it," said Harry. "Sorry. Can't tell you who created it. Besides, you wouldn't believe me, and it doesn't matter much now. It's dead. I can't see how, no Inferni touched me."

"I guess you're right. It doesn't matter now. The Man in the Suit. The whole personal vendetta that I had against you. It really doesn't matter at all," said James. "There are far bigger fish to fry. But I do have one theory. Such concentrated magic kept suspended in one place, so many people in danger at a single time may have caused the map to implode. It's something that happened a couple of times during the early drafts of a similar map that I was working on when I was younger. It didn't show me who was in danger though, of course."

"Well," said Harry. "That settles that, I guess. Did Sead make it out okay?"

The lift that ascended to the surface descended, its doors opening wide in front of them to reveal blood everywhere, human bodies lying in bits and pieces around the room. Sead's was torn from his body, held in mid-air by none other than Fenir Greyback, a vicious werewolf who was one of Voldemort's more unhinged followers. The bodies on the floor were James' elite team of Aurors, or at least, what was left of them, soaked in blood and guts. Greyback's bloody face betrayed a cruel smile. "Ah, gentlemen. I must say, thank you for bringing the Spear directly to me. You've made this task a whole lot easier than I thought it could have ever been. Maybe if I'll hand it over, I'll let you live."

"Sorry, Fenir, you called at a really bad time. I've got a school that I need to save, and I really don't have time for this," said Harry, blasting the werewolf back into the lift and using his wand to close the door once Greyback had smashed into the back of the machine. As James kept Greyback held firmly in place, Harry used his wand to bring the lift up to the top floor, before dropping the magic that kept it ascending and let it plummet from the entrance to the lowest floor at a rapid speed, ensuring that not even a Werewolf would be in one piece after that.

"Is he even alive?" James looked down the empty elevator shaft into the abyss, that he couldn't even see the bottom of. "Actually, please don't tell me the answer. Did anyone tell you how scary you are?"

"I don't need you to tell me. Greyback hurt people I care about," said Harry. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

"He hurt people I care about too," James said, realising that they were both probably talking about the same person, but cleared his throat, feeling numb from what had just happened, taking a moment to compose himself as Fawkes sat around merrily in the background, without a care in the world, "So… I guess this means we're taking the floo?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

So, Harry and James have a bit of father and son bonding while Dumbledore takes over Hogwarts for Mordred. At this point, presume everyone in Hogwarts apart from those mentioned is infected (and Lupin, who isn't considered a resident of Hogwarts by the Cult and therefore wasn't invited). Also, no matter what the brainwashed Dumbledore said they were all going to end up taking the potion anyway because of the compulsion spells on the tables and chairs, so he could have said anything.

I'd like to take a few moments to address some of the main problems that people seem to be having so far with the story that I've seen crop up in a couple of reviews, the main one being Harry getting knocked out by Harper, who is a 12-year-old. Firstly, to counterbalance this, Harry wasn't expecting anything from Harper (remember, she's family, and was the one who warmed up to him first), and had his guard down as he wasn't on Man in the Suit duty at the time. You've got to remember he's also only sixteen, and he isn't a God-like Harry with omnipresent powers. He can't see everything coming, remember, he was also fooled by Bellatrix at the beginning. And this isn't just any ordinary 12-year-old we're talking about, we're talking about the _sister of The Boy Who Lived,_ who is likely to have had extra training beyond her years by her parents to protect her from anybody who wants to come after her to get to her brother. So, she can handle herself well in a fight. Hopefully that clears that up.

Another criticism I've seen is that there's a heck of a lot of plot going on here so people tend to think that I've been ignoring stuff and whilst that's largely true, there is _a lot_ of stuff going on here for just one fic (and probably too much), _everything_ that I've addressed has been planned for. I know exactly where I'm going, it's not like I'm making this up as I go along. I knew where I wanted to take this story pretty much from the get go. Any subplots such as the Riddle in Harry's brain plot will be resolved by the story's end (remember, he said that he'd be back soon, giving Harry a stay of absence, as he knows that if he interferes he could possibly distract Harry during this time and then he wouldn't have his brain to screw with anymore if the distraction ended up getting Harry killed, so the faux Riddle will be back soon and the next time he comes back the mystery will be resolved concerning his identity and who he is). The decision to take the Spear to Hogwarts will be addressed in the next chapter too, more so than just this.

I hope those who wanted to see Harry unleash his vigilante side were satisfied with this chapter. He's still there, so those tuning in to see vigilante Harry hopefully won't be disappointed by the story's end. Remember, like everyone else, he's human and has his flaws and weaknesses. The portrayal of Harry in this fic is something that has been the biggest cause for different opinions in the reviews that I've gotten so far – some people are calling him too weak whilst others are calling him too Mary-Sue-ish. So it's interesting to see people's reactions, and keep them coming. Good or bad, I'll always do my best to read them and take people's opinions on board.

The scene set in the future at the beginning is something that hints at where the story is headed, but it does not necessarily mean that that is the endgame. Alternate realities and suchlike have come into play in the past, for once.

Instead of a film/fic recommendation this chapter I thought I'd provide you with the five main influences for this fic beyond the Harry Potter stories themselves so you can check them out if you can.

 **The Leftovers.** This show recently finished its awesome run and I included a homage to it in the opening scene of this chapter, so props to you if you caught that. There's a lot of stuff in the show that influences particularly the later chapters of this fic, but that might be a bit too much of a spoiler to say more.

 **FX's Legion.** The faux Tom Riddle and going inside the mind-stuff was largely all from here. Plus the scene with Harry and Fleur's first meeting was also influenced by the meeting between Rachel and David in the show.

 **Guardians of the Galaxy / Vol. 2** , as you've probably guessed from some of the music choices in the chapter titles and the cover image. Mainly for the team dynamic between the Champions and the music factoring into the plot. My Harry has a lot of Peter Quill in him. Also, Fawkes is going to play a Rocket/Baby Groot esque role in the chapters to come, so keep an eye out for that.

 **Person of Interest.** As I've already stated. Harry is kind of a mix of Reese/Peter/Harry in this fic blending personalities from all 3. This played a large role in Slytherin's map factoring into this fic as well as the dynamic with Tonks and Fletcher representing Carter and Fusco respectively, with Lupin operating as Finch.

 **American Gods.** If you want something to blame for the lots of random side seemingly unconnected plots such as the muggles investigating Lupin's house, blame this show. It has a lot of that. But again, I have a plan to tie the muggles back into the main plot even if they don't directly appear themselves. One day I'm tempted to do an _American Gods_ style fic as well, exploring what happened if as many Gods from different faiths as possible all existed in various different forms in the Potter verse and what their incarnations would be.

There's also a more general _Doctor Who_ influence in this fic from various episodes, as well as other elements, but the ones above are the main ones. _The Magicians_ as well is another influence that I've already stated, so make of that what you will. For now, I fear I've let this authors note ramble on far too long so I'll leave it there.


	30. Message in a Bottle

_**Have You Ever Seen The Rain?**_

 **Chapter Thirty: Message in a Bottle**

 **I.**

Harry and James reunited with Lupin at the Ministry. Harry' s polyjuice had worn off, and he'd transfigured Sirius' clothes temporarily to match the size of his own. You got out of Hogwarts in time?"

"Yes," said Lupin, glancing across at them, and their bloodied clothes. "What did I miss? And what's happened at Hogwarts?"

"Fenir Greyback just unleashed Inferni on The Ministry in an attempt to get the Spear of Destiny," said Harry, revealing the Spear to Lupin. The Spear itself had several foreign, untranslatable symbols on it, and instantly, Lupin recoiled out of surprise and fear of the unknown. "Now this is the point where I'd use it to unmake reality to make sure that Mordred and Voldemort never existed and a whole bunch of other things never happened, but there's a slight problem with that approach…"

"What's that?" 

"I don't know how to use it," said Harry with a shrug. "It's a language that doesn't exist in any records known to man. I don't know what it means, and Dad doesn't know what it means either."

"Well why did you remove it from the Ministry? Wouldn't it be safer there?"

"No," insisted Harry. "They've suffered two attacks and this one nearly broke them. I wouldn't be surprised if the Death Eaters attacked again before the day is out, which is why we need to get this to Hogwarts as soon as possible."

"Last time I checked Hogwarts wasn't doing so well," said Lupin, having explained to Harry about how Dumbledore's call to arms immediately felt wrong and out of place, out of character for him, and knew that something was wrong and he had to make it out of there immediately, knowing what Harry had told him about the brainwashing. "Are you sure it's a good idea to bring it there? Why not leave it with the Goblins?"

"In the very same building that almost got a Philosopher's Stone stolen from it in first year? Besides, the Goblins will think that we're giving them the Spear, we can't trust them. I'm pretty sure half of them think it's a Goblin artefact anyway, and unless you have a way of befriending their entire species in the blink of an eye…"

"You could try talking nicely to them."

Harry, Lupin and James burst out laughing at that statement, James joining in instantly, knowing that the Goblins acting nicely because someone talked nicely to them was impossible. "So, we have the most powerful weapon in the universe and here we are, in a muggle street in their capital city, holding it out in the open. What could possibly go wrong with that?"

"That's a good point. We need to get off the street," said James, glancing around him at the entrance to the Ministry where they had just come from. Thankfully by now it was late-evening and past the Rush-Hour, so they could walk in relative peace. Harry had configured a protective cloth to cover the spear, but just to make sure, placed it in his pockets that were larger on the inside than they were on the outside. "I was about to ask why you didn't do that sooner."

"Good point," Harry said. "Now, we have to presume that Dumbledore has fallen. Hogwarts has fallen too. I don't know how long Mordred has got left, but we must, and this is important, _we must_ presume that _everyone_ in the castle is out to get us. Strangers, friends, even family. We can trust nobody."

"What should we do if we get separated?" asked Lupin. "How will we know if we haven't been brainwashed when we meet again?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "Mordred can access your memories so they'd be able to tell and answer. We're going to have to stick together. But normally it's the eyes is the giveaway. They're soulless, like nobody's there, although they've evolved since I first met them so they're normal… it's not entirely perfect. I noticed McGonagall was trying to avoid eye-contact with people the whole time after the tournament, so maybe that's the key. _Eye contact_."

"So when we get to Hogwarts," said James. "Where are we going to hide the Spear? And wouldn't it be a better idea throwing it into the sea as far away from Mordred as possible where he can never find it?"

"You know better than that. There are tracking spells, and besides, if we can figure out how to use it, we can stop it from ever happening in the first place," said Harry. "Mordred gone. Voldemort gone. Think of that. That's what we're fighting for, the ability to change things for the better without the consequences of interfering with the timeline. We hide it in the _safest_ place in Hogwarts that we can possibly think of and then when we find out how to use it, we go back and use it."

"Why can't we just take it with us?"

"Because if we get captured, then they'll have the Spear. I thought you were meant to be Chief Auror?"

"I have my off days."

"Great time to have an off day, Dad," said Harry, although James knew that he meant it jokingly, just as he had done in his comments. "Okay. So. Hogwarts?"

" _Hogwarts_ ," agreed James, and Lupin echoed his sentiment.

"Although there's one more thing I must ask," Lupin said, glancing around at Fawkes, who he had just noticed in the background. "Why do you have a Phoenix?"

"It's the new trend," Harry said. "Now might be a good time to get on board. And this isn't just any Phoenix."

"It's… _Fawkes_?"

"He saved us in the Ministry. Seems to have a history of doing the right thing," said Harry. "So let's get going."

 **II.**

They apparated outside of the Hogwarts grounds to find two students guarding the door. "Possessed?" James asked, glancing through the gate at them.

"Absolutely," Harry said. "Students don't normally guard the gate."

James shot forward two stunners, but they bounced off the reflective shield that protected Hogwarts from interference. A small vibration didn't alarm the two guards, who presumed that it must be some sort of animal accidentally walking into the shield and did not investigate further. "How are we going to get through?"

"Simple," said Harry. "We turn ourselves in."

"What?"

"They take us inside the barrier and then we ambush them," said Harry. "Only one person goes and then he opens the gates and lets the others go free."

"Okay…" James said. "I'll go."

" _Stop where you are!_ " a loud shout from behind them caused James and Harry to turn around, as a large light from an unknown source shone on their location, illuminating them in the darkness. " _We have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up and your wands in your pockets! Any sudden movement will be met with extreme force."_

"Well, crap," Harry said, counting the figures. There were at least thirty there, and Fawkes hadn't shown up yet, having been trusted to make his own way to Hogwarts. "So much for that plan." 

It was Roger Davis. Harry looked into his eyes, and saw the tell-tale sign of conversion, essentially reverting to his old ways. "Well, we meet again, Potter. Only this time, I have the upper hand. Weasley, take them away. Make sure Potter is unharmed, he is needed."

"Which one?" Harry asked, glancing back at Roger as he was hauled away by one of the two Weasley Twins. The other dragged his father with the help of Cedric Diggory. He already knew the answer. "Why does Mordred want me?"

"That is for me to know," said Roger, with a smile. "And you to find out."

"Great. As if one Dark Lord wasn't bad enough with Samuel involved as well I may essentially be locked in a custody battle between both of them."

James snorted at this as they were dragged into the open. Harry recognised where they were going and realised that the path was taking them past Hagrid's hut, an idea formulating in his mind. It was Lupin who asked first. "Okay… now what?"

They didn't have to wait long for an answer. Instantly, from the trees above them as they were about to leave the clearing, Viktor Krum, Nymphadora Tonks and Fleur Delacour dropped down from the thick branches above, landing firmly on the brainwashed students at the back of the pack and taking them out one-by-one. Harry, James and Remus saw this as a chance to break free of their captives, turning around and punching them in the face, something which Harry had wanted to do to a Weasley twin for a long while. For good measure, he hit harder than normal, and quickly reclaimed his wand as well as the wand that belonged to the students. When asked why, he explained that they would be defenceless without them. After hugs were exchanged, Harry thanked them for the save, and pointed them in the direction of where a largely naked Sirius Black was still held, coughing and now awake, but nonetheless relieved to see James approach with his friends.

"Padfoot?"

"Prongs? Why am I naked? And why is your son wearing my clothes that strangely seem to fit him?"

"That's kind of a long story," said James, and then proceeded to explain to Sirius. Sirius understood, trusting his friend as much as he trusted the group itself. Once the clearing, a good way from the knocked-out students was secured, and Sirius' clothes were returned, Harry assembled the team and prepared to make a speech.

"Okay," Harry announced, garnering the attention of everybody in the room. "I want to be the first to let everyone know that we don't have much of a chance in this. It's a suicide mission. Everyone in the school including Dumbledore is a servant of one of the greatest evil to ever have lived, and whilst we do have the most powerful weapon in the world, we've got no idea how to use it. That's what this mission is going to be. Somewhere in Hogwarts, there's _probably_ a book that's old enough to give us some sort of clue. In the Restricted Section, most likely. One of the older ones. I cannot stress this enough, such a thing might not even exist. We're going to the Chamber of Secrets to hide the Spear and then we're going to the library. Between us and them there are no doubt hundreds of people who all want us to join them. There are only seven of us against the entire castle."

"Five," said Lupin, pointing out. "Me and Nymphadora have an errand to run."

"You're backing out now, Moony?" Sirius asked.

"Let's just say I have to pay a visit to an old friend," said Lupin, shooting a dark look at Harry, who knew what he was talking about and gave his approval. "Who may be willing to help us this time around."

"Well, thanks for ruining my speech about the Magnificent Seven," Harry pointed out.

"What are they?"

"A group of cowboys that got hired to defend a small village south of the border from bandits," explained Harry, not bothering to mention that it was a movie. "They were heroes to the townspeople, fighting and overcoming tremendous odds in a battle that they couldn't possibly win. We're going to be them. We're going to win."

"So seven men fought hundreds of bandits and won? Were they wizards?" Sirius said.

"No," said Harry. "And if it helps, most of them died. Only three lived."

"Well, thanks for the reassuring words of comfort. Your pep talks are great," Sirius said, chuckling at Harry's comment. "I call being one of the three that lived."

"Are we calling spots now?" Tonks said, raising an eyebrow. "Because I want a heroic death. Something big. Like taking out four dozen people while under the cruciatus curse."

"Wait, wait, nobody is calling anything," said Harry. "I'm also going to say this. If you want out, say now. I won't hold it against you. Know that if we're going in, we'll likely either get killed or be converted. And by the sound of it, Mordred's got something planned for me, so it could be worse. Here's what we're not going to do. We're not going to let that happen. He may think he's big. He may think he has what he wants. He's almost got it, too. But as long as I'm still alive, as long as I've still got fight left in me… he's never going to win." 

"Well, what are we waiting for? No time like the present," said James, climbing up from where he had been seated and leading Sirius along with him.

Harry tuned around and whispered to Remus. "You sure about this? You told me that the last time you saw him, you sounded pretty shaken up. I wonder if bringing Tonks along is a good idea."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, and she can handle herself," said Lupin. "Look after yourself."

"You too."

"Hey, Moony?" James said, coming up after him. "You remember the Marauder protocol if one of us dies, right?"

"Let us pray that it does not come to that," said Lupin. "But I remember. I'll be there."

"And I'll be there for you. May we meet again, old friend."

"May we meet again," echoed Lupin. The groups respectively parted ways, and Fleur and Krum joined in with Harry, James and Sirius. They had exchanged clothes by now and Harry was back in his suit.

"Okay, so we should be able to sneak in underneath the greenhouses, there's a special hatch that takes us down into the dungeons and from there we can take a secret passageway that will take us to the second-floor girl's bathroom," said Harry, glancing across at James. "Unless you've got another way in?"

"Even better. I have the Marauder's Map," explained James, smiling, earning a look at Sirius who raised an eyebrow at James bringing it out again, and wondering when he'd had the time to collect it despite its earlier misuse. "It tells us where everyone is at the castle at any given time. _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good…_ "

The map opened, revealing the greenhouse was largely empty.

"Excellent," smiled James, noticing that the path through was relatively clear. "Let's go."

 **III.**

They made it to the Chamber with little interference or noise. The small group quickly made light work of the few guards on duty at the various hidden passageways that allowed entrance into Hogwarts, knocking them out and taking their wands just to be on the safe side. Their wand collection rapidly increasing, Harry wondered how he would have to explain this if they ended up against all odds finding a cure for a massively converted population. "Okay… what now?" Sirius asked, carefully avoiding the dead basilisk.

"Now…" Harry said, opening the chamber within the chamber, "Ladies and gentlemen. I want you to meet Salazar Slytherin."

The door to Slytherin's chambers opened, peeling back to reveal a descending passageway beneath the monument to him. Harry told the backstory of how he found the map and worked with Slytherin to the group as they descended, and found the last painting, which still remained whilst all the others had arrived. "Back again, Harry?" the man couldn't help but ask. "And I see you've brought friends. How lovely."

"Who are you? Are you Salazar Slytherin?" James asked, wearily.

"Merlin's beard, no," the man said, chortling at James' reaction. "I'm someone else. I can't say more. I'm forbidden. But it seems you have found yourselves in quite the pickle, if I am to understand myself. Mordred almost on the verge of resurrection, and the entire castle working with him. Who'd have thought that it would ever have come to this?"

"I need you for a favour," said Harry. "Can you look after something for me?"

"Of course I can," said the man. "I won't be able to do anything about it if someone gets through the door… but only those chosen by Salazar can even find it, so I needn't have to worry. They may be able to breach the Chamber, however, if they know how to speak snaketongue. I cannot do anything about that, either."

"Well let's hope Mordred was not too keen on attending parsletongue lessons," said Fleur.

"That sounds about right," said the man. "One more thing. If you are captured, Mordred will sound charming. He will invite you in with promises, false hopes and beliefs. It is important, however tempting, however _real_ they appear, do not let them deceive you. They are not real. They can never be real. He is a liar, a schemer and a trickster. He took the teachings of Loki and used them for ill. He has plans for you, Harry. Plans that I cannot even comprehend."

"Why me?"

"Why anyone else? If you or your relatives are chosen by one Dark Lord it is only natural that another one might recognise your abilities," said the man.

"But I'm not chosen by a Dark Lord," said Harry. "My brother's the Boy Who Lived."

"He is. That doesn't mean you're free from their grasp."

"What does that mean?"

"That is for me to know, and you to find out," said the man. "Make no mistake, Samuel Potter is very much the Boy Who Lived. But you have been chosen, nonetheless. For a different purpose."

"Well, that sounds ominous."

"It certainly does. Oh, and when you meet The Fisher King again, be sure to give him my regards. We go way back."

Harry was left wondering what he meant by The Fisher King as soon as they stored the Spear in Salazar's coffin, having never met anyone known by that name in living memory, only vaguely heard mentions about something like a Fisher King before in fiction The conversation itself had pretty much ended there too. "Okay… Library," said Harry, once they were clear from the Chamber and back in the second-floor bathroom. "How do we get there from here?"

"There aren't any shortcuts," said James. "The nearest one is the third floor and that's reasonably well known, so it's heavily guarded, and it comes out on the first floor right next to ground zero, which is also heavily guarded. So, the library is on the first floor. We're going to have to take the direct route. That puts us going past the Great Hall, where most of the students are."

Once the patrols had been assigned it had become clear that there was an excessive number of students still left in the class. Rather than assign them to various tasks or have them carry their lives out as normal, Mordred had them standing there, lined up in single file, waiting to be used, completely motionless. They were simply reinforcements, and if Harry's team were noticed, they would be unleashed. "I've got an idea," said Harry. "If we go to the library, we need a plan B as to how to get out of the libraryand we can't just go back the way we came."

"There's a trap door in the roof with a ladder in case of emergencies on the top floor," explained James. "It takes us up to the second floor. And then where would we go?"

"If we find something, we need to get a message to The Professor to let him know so he can bring in the reinforcements from the Ministry," said Harry. "And to abort his plan. But it's going to be a tough challenge. The Library's well defended and it's not that far from the Great Hall."

"Then we shut off the Great Hall," said Sirius. "Barricade it. It can be done, right?"

" _Oui_ ," confirmed Fleur, having memories of the Yule Ball even though she was never a student at Hogwarts herself. "But that still about a hundred students around the grounds."

"I'd rather fight one hundred than Merlin knows how many there are in the Hall," Krum added.

"Wait, guys, shut up!" James said suddenly, having been looking at the Maurder's Map all this time. He put his hand to his mouth and everyone stopped talking. They all moved to the side of the room as quietly as possible, as two brainwashed students on patrol walked around the room. He whispered, " _We need to do this without being seen_."

Fleur transfigured on of the toilet seats into a mobile device, giving it wheels, and allowed it to roll off its hinges out towards the students, catching them by surprise as it had been largely silenced by Fleur, preventing it from making any noise. The toilet itself then exploded, catching the students unawares, knocking them unconscious in the blast. She moved out, gesturing for the others to follow her, pointing their wands down the corridors. Moaning Myrtle was nowhere to be found but that was no surprise, as ghosts had been avoiding Harry lately and she was no exception. They used the inverted edges of the hallway as hiding points to move along, keeping to cover, James' eyes always glanced down at the map. He stopped them twice from getting spotted by another patrol, and eventually, they found themselves at the Great Hall. A quick peek inside confirmed the suspicions held by Harry, the Great Hall was very much indeed packed to the brim with motionless students, who hadn't noticed them as they took their positions on the hallway outside.

Keeping his voice low, James used magic, a spell that he had watched Dumbledore perform on the Yule Ball, to lock the students in the Great Hall until at least the night was over. Several confused exclamations could be heard from the other side, once the realisation set in. "Now we run," said James, using a spell to create a blockade of smoke around the other direction so that students coming towards them wouldn't immediately see where they were. They were able to slip away largely undetected, and eventually make it into a nearby room to recover. "Phew. That was a close one."

"Assuming they can't break the Great Hall door down before then, that gives us before midnight. But we have a problem," said Harry, noticing the map over James' shoulder. "The library entrance is blocked off. There's no way in."

"I might be able to help with that," came the sound of a gruff, elderly voice behind the group, as Harry and James turned around to see none other than Argus Filch waiting there for them. "I've been paying close attention to these meddlesome brats and couldn't help but noticed that they were brainwashed, so I decided to make myself scarce before things could go wrong. I know many pathways that aren't necessarily known on that map of yours."

"How'd you know about the map?" Sirius said.

"What. I may be a Squib, but did you think I was stupid?" Filch said, bitterly. Sirius shrugged at this, nonchantly. "Of course, you did. Never mind. It's worked to my advantage. Most of the possessed students have tended to forget that I've existed, which has certainly helped my cause. Now. Come with me, quickly. Mrs. Norris is waiting and I don't like to leave her alone too long."

Filch had emerged out of the fireplace behind the group and they followed him inside the secret door, leading them into another room that joined onto Filch's private quarters. The room itself resembled a military headquarters from something out of World War 2, complete with a model of the school. The model itself was relatively mobile, and had a bunch of miniature students walking about on it, as well as a clear indication of where Mrs. Norris was. However, there were several areas that were obscured like the fog of war, and only by Mrs. Norris advancing through them was the fog pulled back. "Mrs. Norris is far more than just my cat. She's my eyes and my ears inside this castle. Where she goes, I go. I trust of course that you will not exploit this secret afterwards. Nobody knows, apart from Dumbledore, who enchanted this castle for me. I would prefer that it was kept that way."

"It's not like we'll be here after this year to tell people," said Fleur, gesturing to her and Krum. "And Harry can keep his word."

"Your secret's safe with me," said Harry with a nod, and the others agreed.

"Good. If any one of you breathes _a word_ of this to anybody else I will make sure that you never get another night's sleep at Hogwarts again," said Filch. "Now. Through here. We should be in the library momentarily…"

He lead the group down a darkened, dimly lit passageway, opening a doorway. Stepping out of the painting into the library, Fleur instantly pulled Harry back from taking a further step, glancing around the bookshelves and up at the balcony above. There were at least twenty students standing there, on the raised balcony, plus another twenty or so walking around the library itself, and among them at their head, Minerva McGonagall. Whether or not they had seen them yet remained to be seen. Keeping his voice low, James whispered once they were back in the secret passageway. "But that makes no sense! The map's blank. According to the map we should be the only people in the library at all."

"I guess Mordred knows that something important is in this room and has figured out how to counter the map," Harry said, having long ago confirmed that Filch was _not_ brainwashed so couldn't have set this up to trap them. "Something that we could really use to stop him. And if they're still here, that means… they haven't found it yet."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

I am of course mentioning the classic _The_ _Magnificent Seven_ rather than last year's recent remake. Further confirming before anyone gets any ideas that The Boy Who Lived is very much Sam in this universe, despite what the nameless portrait may have said. Harry is not. The portrait (whose identity will be revealed by the end of the story), has his own reasons for secrecy.

Next chapter will be with Harry, James, Sirius, Fleur, Krum (and Filch!) and the one after that will largely be focused around Tonks, Lupin and Fletcher, who's coming back. He's not the only guest character who will appear in that chapter as well, as I plan on bringing back someone else who's appeared once before. You'll have to wait and find out, but it doesn't take much guesswork to work out who it is. Also next Chapter we also get our first scene with Mordred, as more Arthurian legend comes into play.

This chapter's song reference is of course The Police's _Message in a Bottle._

If you spotted the reference to _The 100,_ then well done. It's fairly obvious to fans of the show. I also decided to include the toilet distraction scene after _Community_ 's excellent Modern Warfare episode, although it plays out a bit differently there to here. And I like the idea of using transfiguration in battle.

Also, wow, thirtieth chapter! Big milestone. That means going by current plan there's only eight more to go, but I've allowed myself a maximum of two more chapters to reach the 40-chapter mark if things get a bit out of hand. But at maximum, _there will be no more than 40 chapters_ in this fic. Even if the last one has to be stupidly long. And I know exactly how this is going to end now as well, so that should be fun…


	31. Father and Son

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Thirty-One: Father and Son**

 **I.**

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," said Harry, back in the secret passage. "The library itself is big enough so we can work our way around unseen."

"Even better than that," James said, fumbling in his pockets. "I have something that I was saving for a situation like this."

"What's that?"

"It's my Invisibility Cloak," said James, bringing it out, Harry noted that he too, had enlarged the interior of his pockets like he had done. "I had it since I was a kid."

"So that is how you were able to get up to all this mischievous antic without my knowledge," Filch said. "An Invisibility Cloak? I always thought it was something like that."

"Of course," said James. "Don't worry, nobody can see it. I reckon you can probably get two people under it maximum, or two teenagers anyway, if you're careful. That leaves you Harry… and somebody else."

"I'll go," said Fleur, almost immediately. She smiled at Harry, awaiting confirmation.

"Good. That's that sorted. If you need any help, use the earpieces," instructed James. "Best of luck."

Harry flung the Invisibility Cloak over himself and Fleur, and both champions left to the other side of the room. They were relieved to see that nobody thanks to the strategically placed bookshelves had noticed the secret door opening, and were able to climb out fairly easily. Both Harry and Fleur found themselves extremely close for comfort, almost too close, being careful to keep their feet hidden as they made their way. A few years older or if they were both larger than they were, and they would have not been able to fit into the cloak, but Harry made it work around them. "So what are we looking for?" Fleur whispered once they made their way to the back of the room and into the Restricted Section, the furthest point away from the brainwashed students.

"Something old, something that's been in this library for centuries," said Harry, noticing that the brainwashed students and McGonagall were set up above the balcony to counter people running towards the restricted section from the entrance without them ever noticing that they were there. If they had gone in through the main door, they would have been stopped afterwards, and it was a good decision, Harry thought that they did not take that route. The latch on the restricted section door was open and Harry and Fleur were able to sneak inside with little in the way of being noticed, stealthily knocking unconscious a nearby student behind the second row of bookshelves, casting a spell that saw him slump to the floor. Fleur grabbed him before he made a sound, and gently lowered him to the floor itself. They carefully managed to move him to the furthest corner of the Restricted Section and did their best to hide him behind the desk, which was normally occupied by the librarian, who was nowhere to be found. Behind the desk itself Harry found a locked case, marked _DANGEROUS, DO NOT OPEN_ , which he opened with ease, and found one book that didn't have anything in its pages, reminding him of Riddle's book. The book in question was certainly old, and the amount of dust on the pages almost caused him to start coughing violently, which would have given away their location almost immediately.

"That book's blank, it's got nothing there," warned Fleur.

"Wait," Harry said, remembering Riddle's diary. He fumbled around behind the desk for a quill and quickly found one, writing in the pages _Show Me Mordred's Weakness,_ just on the off chance that the book knew something and was as sentient as it tried to claim it was. There was a moments silence, and then a loud screech filled the room, something that drew instant attention to the students at the back of the room. Harry and Fleur instantly found themselves dragged from their current location, finding themselves hurtling into the book itself, dragged in by a mysterious power, wondering where the end would be.

 **II.**

Harry landed headfirst in a pile of what he was fairly sure was the leftovers of what had once been part of a cow's stomach. It smelt disgusting and tasted even worse, and he was forced to spit out what he had almost choked on out of his mouth, casting a cleaning spell as he climbed to his feet and out of the environment. No longer was he in Hogwarts' Library, but instead, on the outskirts of a small farming village, that was going for the period, old-school style look. It looked like something from a costume drama, with people ploughing fields and walking into the village dressed in medieval costume. Fleur helped pull Harry out of the room, and he was relieved to see that he she was dry, too. "Well, any ideas as to where we are?"

"I don't know," said Harry, with a shrug. "If I had a guess, I'd say we time-travelled. We're in the past… and if I were you, I'd do your best to put on a British accent if we we're where I think we are."

"Oh," said Fleur realising what Harry meant. "Don't worry. I know enough about muggle history… when do you think we are?"

"Look," Harry said, gesturing towards the men on horseback who approached them. One of them introduced himself, helping Fleur out of the farmyard.

"Well hello there," the man said. "My name is Lancelot du Lac. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Madame."

Harry shot a look of disbelief at Fleur, who returned it, recognising _Lancelot_ from the legends. "My name is Vivian Potter and this is my husband to be, Hadrian," said Fleur, bowing courtly to Lancelot. "My apologies, you appear to have caught us at a bad time."

"It would appear so. Tell me, what happened?" Lancelot said.

"Well, Hadrian here simply lost control of his horse when he was frightened by a fox," elaborated Fleur, putting on her best posh British accent that caused Harry to almost burst out laughing. "She appears to have, how would you put it… done a runner."

Harry chuckled at the accent, wondering if the term even had been used back then, but it something that Lancelot didn't seem to worry about, instead, noticing Harry's chuckling, asked, "Is there something you find funny about this?"

"No, sorry. I just remembered an unrelated joke," said Harry.

"Oh, go on? Do tell."

"It's not appropriate for present company, it would have to wait until another day," said Harry, quickly covering his tracks.

"Very well," said Lancelot. "I will take your consideration into account. We are staying at The Fox and Hounds tonight if you would care to join us for a round of alcoholic beverages on behalf of King Uther Pendragon."

"King Uther?" Harry whispered to Fleur, glancing up at Lancelot. "Very well. If we're in town I'll take you up on that offer. Be sure to let us know if you find our horse."

"What breed is your missing beast?"

"A Shire Horse."

"A fantastic beast indeed. I will begin my search for it immediately," said Lancelot, and gestured to his men. "But first… we have a witch to hunt!"

"What?"

"Haven't you heard? The new Witch law means that any Witch spotted in the kingdom of Camelot must be executed after capture," said Lancelot. "There are rumours of one lurking in this nearby village, honestly, I thought you knew."

"We're… rather isolated," said Harry, smiling, but then, sensing an opportunity, added, "But we can help you find this witch if you want. Any ideas what he looks like?"

"He is but a young child. No more than thirteen winters," explained Lancelot. "Rest feared. We will hunt him down before the dark. These heathens have no place in today's world. Come, my lord and lady-to-be."

"A young child? I wonder who that could be," Harry said, as they followed the riders. "Does this young child have a name?"

"Not that we know of," said Lancelot. "But he is a boy-child."

Eventually, Harry and Fleur arrived in the small village with a well at its centre. Immediately, Lancelot and his men headed into the Fox and Hounds, leaving a confused Harry and Fleur in the corner. They had somehow arrived in era-appropriate clothing, something which they were only starting to take into account now that the chaos of meeting Lancelot was over. They stopped to rest against the wall of the pub for a moment, gazing out at the village itself. In the main square, itself there was a stepped platform complete with a noose, surrounded by four unlit bonfires with crosses. "This must be the era before Arthur," realised Harry. "If Uther is still in charge. The Dark Days."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Fleur asked, raising an eyebrow at Harry.

"If you're thinking we look for the child before Lancelot, we could potentially find something out about Mordred," said Harry. "I don't know how long we have though. Hopefully not long, the past is kind of like when you visit a foreign country on a holiday. It's great for nostalgia purposes, but you wouldn't want to live there. But more importantly, I have a question. _Hadrian,_ really?"

"Well I couldn't exactly go around calling you _Harry_ , could I? I had to improvise," said Fleur.

"Well, never call me that again. It's horrible, and I hate it. Anyway. Notice how Lancelot instantly believed that we were lords as well," said Harry. "I think the book has given us some in-built protection. Now let's just see if we can find the wizard first… before being burned alive as one."

"You know we can easily escape being burned at the stake, right?"

"Yes, but I'd rather not get burned at the stake in the first place," said Harry, glancing at the pub where the noises had increased, and Lancelot's men had become involved in a brawl. Instantly, a young, brash, world-weary boy who could not be more than sixteen years old was thrown out of the pub by Lancelot, reeling backwards into the mud, past Harry.

"I'm going to teach him a lesson, boys," said Lancelot, spreading his arms out wide in a careful, cocky, manner. "This is what you get when you try to steal what's mine! You think you could get a Camelot seal just by stealing it? They're personalised, idiot. Mine is unique, and congratulations, you've just committed a heresy of the highest order."

"Well, we'll see about that," said the teenager. His hair was blonde, and he already had several bruises on him. He looked like a brawler, and from experience, Harry could tell that had been in many fights before. His hair was cut short, and he boasted light blue eyes. "I'm pretty good in a fight, you know."

"Oh? Well how's that. You're outnumbered five to one."

"Actually, I think you've got that wrong. It's three on one, which is marginally better odds."

"How'd you figure that one out, then, mate?"

"I know for example that as soon as I take you down, the two on the left will be so surprised by my fighting that they'll turn and run, and then that'll leave me with two. I can probably take out one of them fairly easily, and then the other's going to run. The only thing up for grabs is who's going to run," said the boy. He looked at a man in the back, who was laughing. "Is it you?"

Harry smiled at the teenagers' boldness, rather impressed by his brazen attitude. "Very well," said Lancelot, smiling. "You talk big, but time to see how good you really are. Gents."

Lancelot handed his weaponry over to the nearby man. "Now, you understand, I won't show you the same mercy as I did in the bar, correct? You had a chance to run. Maybe I'll hang you for a bit of thieving."

"You'll have to get me first," the teenager said, and instantly attacked, catching Lancelot by surprise. Striking hard, one, two, three blows in skilled fashion sent Lancelot to the floor, reeling in surprise. Instantly seeing their leader knocked over, as predicted, two men turned and ran, dropping Lancelot's weaponry in the dirt as they ran. The bloodied Knight looked humiliated, especially in front of the villagefolk, who had gathered to watch the spectacle. Lancelot's allies, the two men nearby him, nodded at each other and advanced. Making sure that nobody was looking, Harry decided to help him out, and cast a trip jinx at one of the men, causing him to trip over on his feet and fall over in the dirt. The other man engaged the boy in the fight, and soon, he too was on the floor. "I'll be taking that," the boy said to Lancelot, reclaiming Lancelot's seal. "Don't worry, I'm just borrowing it, mate, you'll get it back soon."

Instantly stepping over Lancelot's unconscious body, the boy walked over to Harry and Fleur, and Harry wondered if he'd somehow worked out that he'd noticed that he'd used magic. "Ah, my friends. You must be the newly-weds my friend Lance was boasting about in there. Come. We have much to talk about."

"I do believe we haven't properly been introduced," said Harry, as the villagefolk rushed to the bodies of the knights like vultures, picking off their precious possessions that they kept on them. He said his assigned name with a grimace, " _Hadrian_ Potter, and this is Vivian."

"Good to meet you," the boy said, leading them down a back alley. "I'm Arthur."

Harry and Fleur shot each other a look of disbelief. _This was Arthur Pendragon_? Sure, there could be more than oneperson in the region called Arthur, but the name itself was too striking, and the familiarities with people present – Lancelot for example, was too uncanny for it to be anything but Arthur. Harry couldn't help but ask just to be sure. "Arthur Pendragon?"

"How did you know that?" said Arthur with a scowl, pushing Harry up against the wall suddenly, causing Fleur to back off. "Nobody knows my surname. They all think I'm some commoner. Not someone who was exiled."

"Exiled? How?"

"My _mother_ thought it best that I be raised on the streets rather than in the high kingdom of Camelot, so aloof it has forgotten to care about its every-day townsfolk," said Arthur. "My father so corrupt, he has ignored his people. He uses Witch Burnings as an excuse to remove his enemies daily. Public antagonism towards him is increasing by the hour. I intend to make the journey to the castle and take the throne that is by all accounts, rightfully mine."

"Your father's not dead yet."

"He's dying. There is currently a power struggle going on in the castle," explained Arthur. "He is not fit to rule so the leeches are picking at his bones in the attempt to choose a replacement as no heir has been found. He has left one indicator of an heir however, the sword in the stone."

"Excalibur."

"So you do know of the legend," said Arthur, letting Harry go. "It is said that anyone who pulls it out of the stone can claim the throne from my father. I am hoping that I can do the same. But first… I need to get into the castle, and its gates are sealed to anyone who doesn't have the seal."

"He said it was crafted unique to him," said Fleur. "Surely news will spread of Lancelot's missing seal?"

"I'm working on a plan," said Arthur. "I have a friend who might be able to get me in. Come with me. I saw you cast your spell on the man in the fight back there, I know you are witches, or at least one of you is a witch. It won't be long before folk start talking, too. You have proven yourselves trustworthy. Through here."

Arthur led Harry and Fleur into the back of a building. Loud noises could be heard from above, causing Harry and Fleur to look uncomfortable at the sound. "I guess you weren't expecting me to live in a whorehouse, were you?" Arthur said, chuckling at Harry and Fleur's faces. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it after a while. Come on. Allow me to introduce you to Roland here."

The young boy who had been fitting the description of Lancelot's witch stepped up before them. He had black hair and dark brown eyes, and smiled as they entered. "Fellow witches? How interesting."

"He knows everything," said Arthur. "It's uncanny. But don't worry, he can be trusted. He's not like the ones that sow chaos and despair. Being on the street has helped me treat witches differently than I how I would if my father had raised me. Tell them about the plan, Ro."

"The plan is simple," said Roland. "There is a river, not far from here, deep in the woods. The River Caine. It has been lost to mankind for centuries, but it is said to bestow power upon he or she that were to bathe in it. Infinite power, the power of invulnerability."

"I've never heard of such a river."

"Even in the legends of witches, it is somewhat obscure," said Roland. "But that is the plan. The river will give me enough power to enter the castle and assist Arthur. In return for my support, he has pledged to abolish the ban on witches and wizards. Your help in this matter would be greatly apricated. I fear the knights will be back soon, and in greater numbers."

"Very well," said Harry, nodding, disappointed that the boy himself did not appear to be named Mordred or Merlin. He was hoping that if it were Mordred, he would be able to find a weakness right away.

"We have horses waiting for us. Can you ride?"

"No," said Harry, at the same time that Fleur said, "Yes."

"Very well. We leave immediately," said Arthur, climbing to his feet.

 **III.**

Making their way through the woods, Harry and Fleur followed Roland and Arthur, with Harry's hands firmly around Fleur's waist. "Tell me," Arthur said, "Where are you from? You do not look native to Camelot."

"Londinium," Harry clarified. "We hail from Londinium. Born and bred."

"Interesting. I detected a bit of French about Vivian here," said Arthur, turning around so that he was positioned back on his horse, allowing Roland to ride, facing them. "You must have had French ancestors if you are not French yourself, yes? Do not worry. It is not a crime here."

"My parents were French, yes," Fleur said, betraying her French accent slightly. "I was born in Londinium. I met Hadrian a few years ago."

"You two do look like quite the couple," said Arthur, causing Harry to blush. "I trust you plan on inviting me to the wedding?"

"If we're still around, you can be my best man," said Harry, causing Arthur to chuckle at this.

"I like that. You really do not know anyone around here, do you?"

"No. All my friends are in Londinium," said Harry, telling a half-truth. His friends had been in London at some point, after all.

"We are almost here," said Roland, approaching the River Caine in the distance, and through the woodland, they could hear the water flowing. "The River itself is shielded largely from human view, only appears once every hundred years, and only for a few minutes. You can always hear water nearby, but unless you arrive in that specific ten minute time-span, you will never find a thing."

"Up here," said Roland. "I just pray that we are not too late. Once one person has bathed in the river, it becomes just a normal river for the rest of the time before it disappears. Its powers lost forever."

"I don't mean to alarm anyone," said Fleur, climbing off her horse as everyone else did so, as they approached a wooden bridge over a small ravine, wading through the Autumn leaves on the floor. "But it appears we have company."

"Lancelot," Arthur said, climbing off his horse, gesturing to the knights behind them that were coming up the path that they had just followed. Roland lead Fleur and Harry down a steep slope, as they eventually reached the bottom near the water's edge. Arthur himself remained on the rooftop.

"I thought Arthur and Lancelot were meant to be friends," said Harry to Fleur.

"I guess not all Legends are as accurate as they appear," said Fleur, glancing back at Harry. They were just out of earshot of Roland, who began to dip himself in the river, which had become revealed to them before their eyes. "Or maybe they are simply not friends yet. Maybe something happens to Lancelot that changes his mind about Witches."

"Well, technically Lancelot's affair with Guinevere did lead to Mordred betraying Arthur, so he didn't remain friends with him for long," said Harry. "But he also gets played by Franco Nero in Camelot, so it's kind of balances it out."

"Who's Franco Nero?"

"Oh, only one of the greatest spaghetti western movie actors ever. He played Django."

Suddenly, an arrow shot through the sky, interrupting Harry and Fleur's conversation. They moved out of the way and shouted at Roland, who did his best to avoid the arrow, but it struck him in the heel, forcing him back out of the water, where he came coughing in frustration to his feet. "No… no!" Roland shouted in anger, annoyed at not being able to complete the ritual. An archer was sent hurtling off the cliff edge moments later by Arthur, and as the river vanished before their eyes, he found himself incredibly confused as he landed in nothing but leaves. "Dammit! I didn't get to cover my whole body."

"Well, you got most of it covered," Harry said, by way of comforting, as several knights made their way down the path towards them, away from Arthur. "You just need to make sure nobody knows about the heel."

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" said Roland, glancing up at Harry and Fleur.

"I won't."

"Thank you," said Roland. Seeing that there was no need for hiding the fact that he was a witch anymore, he waved his hand, and from above, tree branches descended to rip the knights off their horses one-by-one. Harry wondered how Roland was able to use such magic, but then maybe this was in the era before wizards had channelled their power into wands. "I think Arthur needs our help, no?"

"Help? I don't need any help," said Arthur from above, pushing Lancelot back off the small cliff. He tumbled down the rocks and landed, unconscious again, at the feet of the group. "That should be the last of them. Did you get what you wanted, Roland?"

"All but the heel. Bastard archer shot me."

"Achilles Heel," commented Harry. "There's a legend similar to yours, Roland. A man named Achilles was dipped into the River Styx, which made him invincible apart from in his heel, which is where his enemy used his weakness to destroy him. It looks like history has repeated itself."

"Well it's a good job I'm not Achilles, then, isn't it?" said Roland, his eyes lighting up, dancing with delight and realisation at what this meant. "I think we can both work out that you are not from around here, Hadrian and Vivian, if those are you real names. How about a trade off? My name for yours."

"Wait," said Arthur, glancing at Roland. "Roland isn't your real name?"

"No," said Roland, with a smile. "Sorry. I wasn't sure that I could trust you when we first met, so I decided to form an alias just in case. So, seeing as you are the newcomers to this situation, you two can go first."

"Harry Potter," said Harry, with a smile. "And this is Fleur Delacour."

"So you are not actually a husband and wife to be after all," said Arthur, his eyes widening. "But does the wedding invitation still stand?"

Harry and Fleur blushed at this again, realising he was only joking. "So. Roland, your turn. If your name isn't Roland, what is it?"

"From where I am from, they called me Mordred. But I guess it does not matter now," said the young boy, causing Harry and Fleur's eyes to widen in barely undisguised shock at the expression. "Oh. I see. My reputation precedes me. Tell me. What have I done to warrant such horrified looks on your face? It must be something bad, which let's be honest, is something I would never do, right Arthur?"

"Well, you have just lied to me after all," Arthur said. "But you? Doing something bad? I can't see it. Hell, the amount of times you've saved my life alone…"

"Trust me, I would never betray you," said Mordred. "My friends, you have nothing to worry about me. Now, it's your turn to answer another question. Where are you from? Or should I ask, _when_?"

Mordred blinked. Before the question could be answered, Harry and Fleur vanished before his eyes, leaving Arthur and Mordred alone in the woods. Arthur looked just as confused as Mordred at the mysterious disappearance of the two, asking, "Do witches always leave in the middle of a conversation like that? How rude."

"I must admit from my past experience they do not," said Mordred. "I'm starting to wonder if they were ever truly _here_ at all. Maybe they were nothing more than a vision."

"A vision?"

"I don't know what it means, Arthur," said Mordred. "But it I fear there are very interesting things in our future. For both of us. Do you have the Seal?"

Arthur held Lancelot's seal in his hand. Mordred manipulated it with his magic, changing the carefully sculpted seal to resemble that of Arthur's face, and handed it back to him. "Arise, Arthur Pendragon," Mordred said, to Arthur, who was bowing out of tradition more than anything. "The Rightful Heir to the Kingdom of Camelot."

 **IV.**

Harry and Fleur came coughing and wheezing back to life in the back of the library, mere seconds after they had touched the book, in the form oftheir everyday clothes. Jumping to his feet, Harry instantly glanced around the library bookshelves and saw that two students were advancing towards them, no doubt hearing the sound caused by the book, which Harry brought to his attention, snapping it shut and was able to quickly put it in his enhanced pockets. "Wow," Fleur said. "So that was Mordred and Arthur who we just met."

"Yeah," Harry said. "I knew they were friends at some point but I had a hard time believing it until it actually happened."

"Well, every legend has a basis in fact. I still can't believe that Mordred shares the same freaking weakness as Achilles," said Harry, moving towards another aisle to avoid the student that was walking past them. Keeping their voice low, they slowly began to work their way back to the secret door, exchanging dialogue as they went. "But at least we know what to do with him now."

"The heel," said Fleur. "Thank Merlin he got struck with that Arrow. He didn't seem as badly affected by it as he would have done normally…"

"The Arrow's effect was likely reduced by the power from the River Caine," said Harry. "His heel is weak but the area around it is still invincible."

"So we just have to be really careful with where we aim," said Harry, glancing around as he turned the corner, coming face to with McGonagall, who was standing by the doorway. He held the book in his hand, instantly realising that he had forgotten about the Invisibility Cloak completely, meaning that both Fleur and McGonagall went for their wands almost instantly, and Fleur got there first, blasting McGonagall back across the room, causing her to crumple beneath a bookshelf. Harry contemplated her. "Nice."

"Well, I am the Champion of Beauxbatons for a reason, am I not?" Fleur said. "Come on. We need to get out of here before they realise we were here."

She opened the secret door, revealing James, Sirius and Krum, who were patiently waiting behind them. Instantly, the alarms began to sound as soon as they entered the corridor, causing a flurry of magical activity in different use of spellcraft to be exchanged back and forth as the brainwashed students quickly came to McGonagall's aid. The door was barely closed and bolted when Sirius used a cunning spell to bring both bookshelves nearby crashing in on the students at the same time, buying them enough time to have a headstart. "Did you find what you're looking for?" Harry was asked by James.

Harry showed him the book that he had stolen, the book with no author and no content in its pages. "Yes. I've got good news and I've got bad news."

"Bad news? What could be worse than the whole castle knowing where we are now?" Sirius asked as they made their way down the secret passage, following Filch.

"The bad news is that Mordred happens to be all-but invincible," said Harry. "He dipped his body in the River Caine, which cured him."

"The River Caine? Blimey. I thought that was just a legend," Sirius said.

"It's real, we saw it," Fleur said, following back into Filch's private room.

"We can't stay here," said Filch, glancing around the room. "And I'll be damned if I let the enemy get their hands on my map here. I'll hold them off, buy you some time."

"Are you sure? You're not a wizard."

"And just because I'm not a wizard do you think I don't stand a chance?" Filch asked. "Don't worry, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. Now go. You want to get to the Owlery."

"I'll stay," said Sirius, climbing to his feet. "Help you out. James, get them to safety. It's Harry they want, I'll be fine."

"No, Sirius, you're not staying," James warned him. "I need you."

"No you don't. You never have," Sirius said with a grin, glancing down at Harry. "Take care of your old man. And hey, James?"

"Yeah?"

"You better get me out of this if I get brainwashed."

"I will, don't worry," said James, nodding at his friend, and then gestured to Harry, Fleur and Krum. "Okay. Let's go. We've got to make it to the Owlery, alert Lupin. Do you know any shortcuts, Filch?"

"Another ladder, up through that pathway," pointed Filch. "Will bring you up on the floor below the Owlery. Then you'll have to make your way across the corridor to the Owlery."

"Understood," said James, leading the way. He called back at Sirius. "Sirius? Good luck."

"You too, Prongs," said Sirius, turning to Filch. "Well, this is your turf. What's the plan?"

"The plan is not to go gentle into that good night. To Rage. Rage. Against the Dying of the Light." Filch said, by way of a battlecry, earning a curious look from Sirius. "What? I read. And that's something I've always wanted to say."

"Fine," Sirius said. "You can quote your poetry all you want. But do we have a plan?"

Harry never heard what Filch told Sirius as he climbed up out of sight after that, wondering if he would ever see both of them again. They made their way up the ladder, being sure to cut it down behind them, and eventually, they reached the floor beneath the Owlery, with Krum pulling Harry up onto the small room that they had found themselves in. "That's a long way down," Krum said, glancing down to the bottom, where a flurry of magic could be seen exchanging back and forth. After a while as the group recovered their breath, the magic stopped, and the fight had finished. Then, there was a loud explosion in the background, no doubt something that was part of Filch's plan.

"SIRIUS!" James called out after his friend, distraught, not knowing what had happened. "SIRIUS! YOU BASTARDS!"

"Easy, easy Dad," Harry said, attempting to calm him down. "He'll be alright. Remember, if they've got him, he's only going to get brainwashed, yeah? There's a cure. There has to be a cure."

"There has to be a cure," said James. "Right. Let's go. We need to get to the Owlery and then regroup from there. Come on. I'll lead the way."

James did, with his wand at the ready, advancing right out into the hallway. They made their way down the corridor, navigating their way relatively undetected, until they came to the intersection with the stairs leading up to the owlery were, on the opposite side. Turning the corner to the right, James found himself staring face to face, meeting eye contact with none other than his wife and Harry's mother, Lily Potter, at the head of a hundred students in rows four wide. She was clad in a black dress, not unlike what one might have worn to a funeral, and her wand stood ready. Eye contact confirmed James' worse fears. She had been brainwashed by Mordred. "Lily," James said, warning Harry, Fleur and Krum who had stopped just short of James. "I'm alone. My friends are on the floor below. I was hoping you and I could have a talk? And I don't mean Mordred, I mean you, _the real_ Lily."

"I'm afraid the real Lily Potter isn't here right now, James," said not-Lily, looking down at James. "Now… I trust you are going to come quietly?"

"I won't hurt you," said James. "I never could."

"A pity," said Lily. "I had expected to have a little fun with you. You are the father of Harry Potter, after all. You must have _some talent_."

James put his fingers behind his back and held three clearly where Harry could see them. He began to count down, Harry noting that James had something planned by the time they reached one. As if on cue, James' wand fired a large burst of smoke into the air in front of them, temporary obscuring the vision of the students behind Lily and Lily herself. Leaping into action, Harry, Fleur and Krum saw this opportunity to sprint across the gap without getting any spells fired in their direction, successfully making it to the other side and up the stairwell. Harry wanted to remain behind to help his father, but James simply put raised his left hand to him and held it up, gesturing for him to _STOP,_ as though he didn't want the help that he thought he needed. It was Harry's turn to be dragged back by Fleur, and as the smoke cleared, eventually James was blasted back against the wall behind him, hitting his head.

Harry eventually admitted defeat, and turned his attention to getting to the Owlery as fast as he could. He realised that with Lily and the army of brainwashed students on his tail, he would need a way out that wasn't necessarily back the way they came Remembering that he had been addressed as a Dragon Lord, he decided to hope that the dragons would still answer him, even if he forced them to, and tapping into his parsletongue abilities, his eyes light up as he spoke with a voice that was not his, hoping that somehow that tapping into this new power would allow the dragons to hear him. _"DRAGONS!"_ he called, in the ancient language, that startled both Krum and Fleur. _"I NEED YOUR HELP."_

"What was that?" Fleur asked once Harry had returned to normal. "Did you just-"

A loud, sonic boom could be heard around the castle, almost shattering nearby windows. Harry was sure that _something_ had just heard him, but whether they would show up was another matter. "I might have just called for help."

"Will it be answered?"

"If it doesn't, it's game over. Come on," Harry said, glancing back down to see that the students were rapidly climbing up the steps after them. He cast a transfiguration spell to conjure a series of small balls, around two hundred or so, which proceeded to roll down the stairs, with the intent on tripping up the students at the bottom. Eventually, Harry, Fleur and Krum made it to the top of the staircase, where they found that the Owlery gave them a relatively open look onto the grounds below. Instantly grabbing a bit of parchment, Harry hastily scrawled in his letter, _WE HAVE LEFT HOGWARTS. MORDRED INVINCBLE. DO. NOT. GO. TO. HOGWARTS._ And then, just for good measure, he added, _TRUST NOBODY,_ before putting the envelope in the parchment and then, noticing that his Owl wasn't present, he decided to use Hedwig, the one that had been picked out for Sam. "Hey there. It's only Sam's brother. I need you to do me a favour, do you know Remus Lupin? Good. Could you take this to him for me? Thank you."

Hedwig nodded, and took off into the distance, leaving the group behind as she flew into the sunset. "Okay," said Krum, glancing up at Fleur and Harry. "Now what?"

"Now, the time has come for you to meet your maker," said a voice from behind them, and Krum, Harry and Fleur turned to see Albus Dumbledore, standing there with his wand. A quick meeting of the eyes acted as a confirmation once again, he was brainwashed without shadow of a doubt. "The conversion is actually quite pleasant, don't worry. I didn't feel a thing."

"You would say that, wouldn't you," said Harry. "I'm addressing Mordred now, not Dumbledore. You may have the Castle. You may have my friends and my family. But as long as I'm still fighting, you'll never win."

"I have already won," said the not-Dumbledore. "You just cannot accept it."

"I'll be back," promised Harry, noticing something in the distance, something just off to the centre. "One day, I promise you, Professor, I will be back. And I will save everyone in this castle."

"How can you be _back_ ," said Dumbledore. "If you haven't even escaped yet? You're standing on the Owlery. I'll have you know, it's quite a long way down. And I have freed the students from the Great Hall. Even if you were to fight your way through the Headmaster of Hogwarts School, who is currently under the control of me, no less, you would have to fight your way through _every_ single student at Hogwarts. Plus the staff. And the foreign students that travelled here. Even you cannot possibly survive all that."

"You're right, I can't. I'd probably get far, though," said Harry. "But… I have one more thing left to say. Fighting today was never my intention. Fleur? Krum? Do you trust me?"

Both of them nodded respectively.

"Right. When I say, jump," Harry said, turning his attention back to Dumbledore, as Fleur and Krum edged closer to the edge of the Owlery balcony. Harry joined them. "Now… Mordred, where were we? Oh yes. That's right. I remember. One thing left to say, I wonder… what could it possibly be?"

"You said something about jumping," pointed out Dumbledore, his eyes narrowing. "But you cannot possibly-"

"Oh, I can," said Harry, " _Bye_!"

Without further ado, Harry jumped. Fleur and Krum took that as their cue to jump as well, both of them falling off one of the tallest towers in Hogwarts with no way of slowing down. The ground was looking like an increasingly real prospect for them until they found themselves one by one, caught by the claws of a dragon, led by Arkenthias, having answered the Dragon Lord's call for aid, and now had returned to carry them away from Hogwarts like it was the home of the devil itself. And for today, on this evening, it might as well have been.

Hogwarts had well and truly fallen to Mordred, if it hadn't already. And for now, the battle was lost, and the war had begun.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

So, we have a lot of things happening in this chapter. The Arthur I'm going for is oddly enough, inspired largely by _King Arthur: Legend of the Sword_ in his origins here, although that movie wasn't exactly great at the same time. Mordred and Arthur were friends in the legend, and I decided to play a probably predictable twist with Roland being a false name in honesty, but thought I'd throw it in there as a nice shoutout to Stephen King's _The Dark Tower_ series where Mordred is the son of Roland (and others). We also have James, Sirius and Filch now being converted adding to the tally of Mordred's followers.

Any historical inaccuracies in the flashback sequences and anachronisms will be explained by a) my lack of knowledge of the period and b) the fact that the book was catering to Harry and Fleur's viewpoints so it might not necessarily have been the same for Mordred and Arthur. I know a few people have been wanting Arthur to show up here, so he gets an appearance, and he may or may not show up again in the chapters remaining. Remember, this is Arthur before he became King, and if we do meet him next he might be different.

Next chapter will see the return of old friends as well as a monster from _Fantastic Beasts._ It will be largely Harry-lite, with lots of time spent with Lupin, Tonks and Fletcher, as well as time spent at Hogwarts.

 **Fanfic Recommendation of the Chapter** : _Browncoat, Green Eyes,_ an extraordinary Harry Potter crossover with _Firefly_ set post _Serenity._ A must read for sci-fi fans.

 **Film Recommendation of the Chapter** is the wonderful horror thriller _A Girl Who Walks Home Alone At Night,_ which offers a unique take on vampires. I've never seen anything else quite like it.

Song title of course is from Yusef / Cat Stevens's _Father and Son._


	32. Where Do We Go From Here?

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter 32: Where Do We Go From Here?**

 **I.**

Nurmengard was quiet when Lupin, Tonks and Fletcher arrived at the foot of the tall castle to see its lone occupant. It was deep into the night in Germany and as a result, the moon hung above them. Thankfully for Lupin it was not a full moon, at least, not for another month, but still, they approached things carefully. "What you're about to enter is the most dangerous prison known to man," said Lupin, warning Tonks and Lupin. "Possibly more so than Azkaban. The jury's still out on that one."

"Well, let's hope that there aren't any Dementors home," said Tonks.

"From what I've heard, Nurmengard uses a more sophisticated punishment than Azkaban," said Fletcher, his accent coming through heavier than ever. His wand was pointed up at the ceiling. "Why're we bringing a rookie Auror here, Hoss? We should be bringing your ninja guy."

"We're bringing _that rookie Auror_ with us because I said we're bringing that rookie Auror with us," Lupin said. "So that's how it's going to be, I'm afraid. Besides. My _ninja_ guy is a) not a ninja, and b) busy right now, in case you weren't already aware. So unless you would want me to write a strongly worded letter explaining why I had to call him from his business where he's currently doing his best to save the world because a conman won't work with an auror, then I suggest you remain as quiet as possible."

"Sorry, Hoss," Fletcher said.

"Hey, you never said, what does _Hoss_ mean?" Tonks couldn't help but ask. "It feels like you should be calling him _Boss._ "

"Eh. It's a habit. I think it means really big guy. I know the Professor ain't exactly big," said Fletcher. "But y'know… his other self is, if you get what I mean. So, it kind of fits."

"I guess so. What floor is Grindelwald on, by the way?"

"They recently moved him to the bottom floor," explained Lupin. "As part of a prisoner transfer, they deemed that his current cell was at a potential risk of exposure and added security as a result of this shortly after I left. I hope you're ready. His presence is rather unsettling."

"On a scale of one to Dementors, how unsettling can Grindelwald be?" said Tonks. "I've been to Azkaban. I can handle this."

"You can handle one of the most fearsome wizards of all-time?" Lupin said, with a smile. "Well, this should most certainly be interesting indeed."

 **II.**

"Is that Ride of the Valkyries?" Tonks couldn't help but ask as they were approaching the bottom cell. She'd recognised the classical piece of muggle music after hearing it played in Jason Samuels' shop once, and wondered why there weren't any lyrics when everything else she'd seen played from him had lyrics. She also had to ask why Jason had conjured what looked like three toy muggle military helicopters to hover around the room whenever the music played, but was not surprised when the answer that she got back was that it was from a film.

"That is Ride of the Valkyries, if I recall correctly," said Lupin. "Richard Wagner. Die Walkure, Act 3. Harry recommended that I play loud music whenever I transform… so if I do end up being rather loud, the music will cover it up to anyone who happens to walk by where I live. Not that it mattered much of course as I live in the middle of nowhere… but it would appear the same principal has been recently applied here."

"Either that, or Grindelwald is a big fan of Wagner," said Fletcher as they approached the cell. There was one occupant sitting in the shadows, a grey-haired man with a sinister face. Everything about him felt off, and Tonks felt her hair on the back of her head stand up on end.

"Ah, Ah, Welcome back, old friend," said Gellert Grindelwald. "It has been a while, has it not? It is truly good to see you, Remus. I believe our last game of chess was left decidedly unfinished. And it appears you brought new friends? Excellent. This must be the Metamorphmagus I've heard so much about. They let them on the Auror taskforce now? My my, things have really changed since my day. But then again, when they let a Werewolf become a teacher… anything is possible."

"You told him about me?" Tonks shot an accusing look at Lupin.

"He didn't, my dear. Oh, your father. I'm sorry for his loss. It must have hurt him pretty badly. Is that why he had to go away for a while?"

"How dare you," Tonks said. "How are you doing that? I've had my mind set up to defend against attacks from mind-readers."

"Oh, you think I'm reading your mind? How cute," Grindelwald said, with a smile. "So... the Metamorphmagus, the Werewolf and the Thief walk into a prison. It sounds like the start of a bad joke, does it not? But. Here we are. Oh, the times they are a-changin' indeed."

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to quote Bob Dylan," said Tonks.

"Is that who the artist was? It's a muggle song, so I've been told. I think the guards must think it is some kind of irony to play muggle music to a muggle-hating sociopath. But I must admit… it has rather changed my mind on certain things. I still hate muggles, of course. But their music? Some of it can stay. So, what did I miss?"

"You're not the one asking questions," said Lupin. "We are."

"Ah, I figured that was the reason behind your arrival here. It always comes down to the questions. Last time, you came to speak to me about the Spear of Destiny. Tell me. Has the person who has touched it lost his mind yet? If not… it's only a matter of time. Two or three days? I'll give him that. I must say, the experience was rather unpleasant myself. But you'll know when The Fisher King comes to call…" 

"We're not here about that," said Lupin, slightly alarmed by the revelation but not wishing to divulge any further information necessary to Grindelwald. "We have an incident that I was wondering that you might help us with. A… great evil has risen. One intent on wiping out not just muggles, but wizardkind, too. Hogwarts has fallen. Our very existence is threatened."

"Hogwarts has fallen, you say?" Grindelwald said. "That must mean my friend Albus must have been defeated at last. Then my word, you must be in trouble. If something can defeat the man who defeated me… what chance, pray tell, do you have at stopping The Great Deceiver?"

"The Great Deceiver? You mean Mordred."

"I mean many things," Grindelwald said. "The Great Deceiver, Mordred, Voldemort… it's up to you to figure it out. Put the pieces together. I'm surprised you haven't yet. I mean. Really? Did you need to come to me for help? The answer should be obvious. Deep down, you know this. Now, if you'll leave me to do what I've been wanting to do for a while now, that will be greatly appreciated."

"What would that be?"

"Ever since I heard he was coming back," said Grindelwald. "I have known for a while now, I put the pieces together. Atlantis falling long ago piqued my interest. I mean, many magical schools fall… but _Atlantis_? That was _Atlantis._ That was meant to be the example of everything good in the world. A beacon of hope. If Atlantis had been around today… things might have turned out differently for me. I might not have even gone to war, with Atlantis out there. But Hogwarts sadly, there is only so much an itch that it can scratch. Put it this way, when two of your Dark Lords come from schools specifically created to deal with the said Dark Lord problem, you know… well, you know you have a Dark Lord problem. But I digress. I do believe you will find the answers you are looking for in my old room. I used to write a lot on the walls, when I was bored, you know. I'm feeling charitable, after all. I will miss our game of chess, though, Wolf. It appears my time on this Earth has run out."

Without further warning, Grindelwald slit his throat, reaching a hidden knife that he had managed to procure from places unknown and before anyone could react blood began to spill down onto the floor. "Damn," Fletcher couldn't help but let out an audible gasp as his body soon followed the blood, life vanishing from his eyes. "So much for that. Poor bastard."

Tonks shot Fletcher a dark look. "He was one of the evillest wizards of all time. How can you possibly say that about him?"

Fletcher shrugged. "Just saying. Also. I know I may not look it, but I'm properly scared now. Anything that can make Grindelwald, _The Grindelwald,_ commit suicide just by the thought of someone walking this Earth deserves to be taken seriously. Anyway. So are we going to his old room?"

"Let's just hope something hasn't moved in while he was gone," said Lupin, turning Fletcher and Tonks around from Grindelwald's corpse, and leaving the dead wizard in the cell for the guards to find.

 **III.**

It wasn't raining outside, but inside Hogwarts, the ceiling in the Great Hall was on fire. There were however no students to witness it as they all currently stood outside the giant door inside Hogwarts, or as many as could get in the large room, with Dumbledore and the Potters at the head of the motionless crowd. There was nobody there to stop the brainwashed students from their master, and with the realization that the ritual was almost complete, Hogwarts itself trembled in fear. The ground shook beneath their very feet as if everything about the summoning was declared wrong. All the Owls had fled from the Castle in search of safety the day Dumbledore had fallen, and no bird – or any other animal for that matter, had been spotted in the area for very long. Rubeus Hagrid, scared and confused, had run into the forest when he had been attacked by a group of brainwashed Slytherins, and his location was currently unknown. Not that it bothered Mordred or any of the brainwashed students of course, because as far as he was concerned, there were more important things at hand.

The ritual took approximately thirty minutes to complete, but by the time it was done, the combined magic of the students surrounding the room casting specific spells, channelling power into the goblets, allowed the final wards protecting the door to fall apart, until eventually there was nothing left. And then, one by one, as the door opened, the students began to fall to their knees, bowing. Eventually, the last man to bow before his master was Albus Dumbledore, the brainwashed man without a memory at the front of an army of devoted slaves. "My master," Dumbledore said, once the grey-haired figure of Mordred stepped forward from the shadows. "It is an honour."

"And you must be the Albus Dumbledore I have heard so much about," Mordred said, with a smile. "Arise, my friend. You and I have a lot to discuss. More specifically… the Spear of Destiny. I sense its presence. It is somewhere in the castle, is it not?"

"My brother hid it, sir," Samuel stepped up at this point to make his claim. "But I don't know where."

"I do," said Samuel's father, James, who had been with Harry when it had been buried. He stood next to his wife and Sirius, slightly behind Samuel. "The Chamber of Secrets. The Spear of Destiny is buried within the Chamber of Secrets."

"Ah. The Tomb of Salazar Slytherin," said Mordred, his grey, bearded hair and well-built, muscular body gave him a commanding presence in the room. "What a fool. Did he think that I did not understand the language of snakes? That I would not be able to break it down? He has practically handed it to me on a silver platter. I will be eternally thankful… I never did imagine it would be so _easy_. Tell me, where is he now?"

"The Dragons have him," said Dumbledore. "Forgive me, Master. I tried to stop him. But he fell."

"Do not worry. It is only a matter of time before he returns, after all," said Mordred. "That is the best part. We do not have to look for him. Because he will come to us, and bring something just as powerful as the Spear to me. Trust me in this, my friends. The path of salvation… must come from a walk through the halls of purgatory itself."

 **IV.**

Tonks, Lupin and Fletcher arrived in the cell that used to belong to Gellert Grindelwald and to their relief, found it empty. Entering the room, they took into account the frenzied writing on the walls, the letters that had been scrawled over the decades, all making no sense at all. "So, the translator spell isn't giving us anything," said Tonks, after around twenty minutes of scanning the wall, tapping various bits of gibberish with her wand. "Wait… does anyone remember that spell that Samuel said that Riddle use to unscramble his name in the Chamber of Secrets? Something like an anagram of _I am Tom Riddle_?"

"I do," said Fletcher. "We criminals use it all the time. Here. Didn't glasses tell you about this?"

He waved his wand at the letters, which unscrambled one-by-one, slowly dropping to the floor, leaving a predominant cluster of letters behind. "That's an E," said Tonks, glancing around at the cluster of _E_ s that had remained.

"I've got an "X" over here," Lupin said from where he was standing in his corner of the room.

"Give me a C," Fletcher commented drly.

"A," Tonks said, having moved onto the next cluster of letters that were slowly forming. "Wait. EXCA. I don't suppose the remaining letters are L.I.B.U.R.?"

"Excalibur," realised Lupin. "Of course. The only weapon Mordred ever feared, the only one that ever pierced him in the first place. _Excalibur. Excalibur, Excalibur._ It's the key to all of this." 

"The Spear and the Sword," said Tonks. "I'm ready to leave about now. Where are we heading? Back to Hogwarts?"

A loud roar could be heard from outside the tower, as through the window outside of Grindelwald's old cell, a Dragon could be seen from above, floating down from the skies. "I'm only going by a hunch, but I think the Dragon is here to tell us something," said Lupin.

"Alternatively, you could be wrong and he could be about to devour us all," said Fletcher. "Have you considered that?"

"I have taken everything into consideration," said Lupin. "But I believe that Dragon was sent here by Harry. Or more likely, dragons being dragons, it came on its own out of a favour to its master."

"Wait. He's a Dragon Lord now?" Fletcher said, glancing across at Lupin. "Are there _any other titles_ that he has that we should be aware of?"

"I think that's it," said Lupin. "But regardless. We should be cautious."

"Cautious happens to be my middle name, hoss."

"Well, whatever happens, I hope Harry and the others had better luck than we did."

 **V.**

"Well, whatever happens, I hope Tonks and the others had better luck than we did," said Harry, glancing around at the empty library of the building that had once been Camelot's pride and joy in frustration. "Nothing. Not even a Stephen King book. Those things are _everywhere_ nowadays. The guy's pretty good though. Just he never seems to stop writing…"

"So what do we do now?" Krum said, glancing up at the dusty ceiling in the room. He, Harry and Fleur had both climbed down a ladder to investigate and had stumbled upon what had clearly been the medieval equivalent of a library, something that had once been stacked to the brim with books. "Mordred has Hogwarts and most likely has the Spear of Destiny too. We have nothing."

"We have hope," said Harry, smiling. "Hope is what we have always had. And it's not over yet… tell me. How much do you know about Arthurian Legend?"

"Not much. It wasn't popular at Durmstrang. We much preferred the Norse Gods. Thor. Loki. That sort of thing. For some of us, they were actually our Gods. British Legends were always a paganistic concept to us, the same way that ours probably were to you." 

"I don't know, I always found Thor pretty cool myself," said Harry. "He's an Avenger, you know. You ever read comics?"

"No."

"You should," said Harry. "I've always been more of a DC fan, but I like Thor. I'm really hoping that the world doesn't end before I get to read the 100th issue of Superman, though. But anyway. I digress."

" _I have done one last favour for you,_ " the dragon, Arkenthias, suddenly interrupted Harry's comment with a telepathic communication, causing him to scrounge up his head, enveloped in pain caused from a headache. " _My new ally, Lyra, has sought out allies of your own in Nurmengard. They appear to have knowledge that may be useful to you… she is leaving them outside the Castle. They will be there momentarily."_

"What happened?" Fleur asked, recognising Harry dropping out of focus ever so slightly. "Is everything okay?"

"I just got a message from my dragon friend," said Harry. "We're about to have company."

"Good company, or bad company?"

"That depends on how you tolerate Mundungus Fletcher."

"Mundungus who?"

"You'll see."

 **VI.**

Harry greeted Lupin, Fletcher and Tonks as they climbed off the dragon inside Camelot, and introduced them to their new environment. "I found something through here," said Krum, suddenly, arriving later than Fleur had. "I do not remember much about Arthurian Legend but there is one thing that caught my eye. What do you know of the Knights of the Round Table?"

"The Round Table was created so that no Knight would ever feel unequal when they were talking. Its circular structure encouraged an open debate with no clear signification of who was in control, apart from the King, of course," said Lupin, as they followed Krum deeper into Camelot's interior. "You mean to tell me that you have found the mythical Round Table of Camelot itself?"

"Unless Camelot had two Round Tables with several seats around it," said Krum. "I think this is what is left of it."

He lead them out onto the table that resembled very much what Lupin had described, however it instead of being as new as it would have been in Camelot's prime, ivy had spread through the cracks and it was overgrown, covered in dust and much like the castle itself, forgotten embers of a world that had long ago ceased to exist. Brushing the dust away from the stone in front of him, Harry looked up at the chair. "Arthur sat here," he said, placing his hands on the oldest of the chairs, the most well-worn and the most intimidating. "There are about twelve seats on this table, and six of us."

"I don't know about anyone else, but I don't feel exactly worthy to sit on this chair," said Fletcher. "Y'all may be heroes and champions, or whatever the hell you are, but I'm just a thief."

"Hey. Without you I wouldn't have known about the first task," said Harry. "Your information has helped me save countless of lives during our short time working together, you've proved to be a valuable asset. You deserve the place at this table as much as anyone. And besides. We've got to clean it first, so don't get too comfortable."

"Easy," said Fleur, with a smile, and waved her wand. The group watched as one by one, the ivy recoiled, the dust vanished, and what was old, quickly became new again. Fleur took her seat at the nearest chair, followed by Fletcher and Lupin, and then Tonks and Krum. They took up six spaces around the table, leaving plenty empty chairs. "Harry?"

Harry took one look at Arthur's chair, and sat down next to Fleur, leaving Arthur's chair at the table empty. Tonks shot him a confused look from directly across the table. "That is the chair for a King. And I'm not a King."

"And we're not Knights. But anyway. I think we should get onto more important matters first. We may have found something, in Nurmengard," said Tonks. "Thanks to the help of the recently deceased Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald, we now know of a weapon capable of stopping the Spear of Destiny and defeating Mordred. The only weapon he has ever feared."

"Which is?" Krum asked.

"Excalibur," said Tonks, with a smile. "And you'll never guess where it's hidden, according to the legends. Its final resting place."

"The Lady in the Lake protects it if I am not mistaken," said Harry. "But I don't see any lakes nearby."

"That is because there were no lakes in front of the castle," said Tonks, glancing out the back of the large, open space where the wall behind the table had once been. It gave way onto a cliff edge, and a sheer drop down into a lake below. Harry climbed up from his feet and followed Tonks over to the edge of the room, resting himself against a pillar, marvelling at the landscape ahead of him. "But form the back…"

"I don't remember the lake being this close to Camelot in the legends…"

"There is such a thing as global warming," suggested Tonks. "You do know, that right? Plus, the lake expanded overtime. There's now more of it than there was before."

"Which means," said Harry, gazing away from the flickering torchlight that had been established by Lupin while everyone was taking their respective places at the table. Beyond the torchlight there was nothing but darkness, illuminated only by the stars above. "Somewhere out there… is Excalibur."

 **TO BE CONTINUED….**

One Dark Lord leaves, another one enters. And Voldemort's still out there, somewhere in the background, waiting to come to life (Can you imagine what his reaction would be if he came back only to find out that Mordred had done his job for him?) I had initially planned to include an Obscurial in this chapter as a nod to _Fantastic Beasts,_ but decided that the plot was already busy enough and didn't find a way to fit in that worked. Next chapter, Arthur shows up, although in what form you'll have to wait to find out.

In this version, Christoph Waltz is Grindelwald, mainly because I cannot stand Johnny Depp and Waltz is by far the better actor at least in my opinion. Fanfic recommendation of the chapter is Concept 101's _The 101 Guide to Writing the Ultimate Fanfiction,_ which is a parody that looks at plenty of the tropes including some of the ones used in this fic in an hilarious way. Film recommendation of the day is Edgar Wright's fantastic _Baby Driver,_ which is something that really needs to be seen. Today's title is drawn from _Where Do We Go From Here?_ By Jimmy Walker from the excellent _Vanishing Point_ soundtrack, which is also a fantastic movie.


	33. I'd Love to Change the World

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter 33: I'd Love to Change the World**

 **I.**

"So how far down do you reckon that is?" Harry asked Tonks, who immediately wised up to what he was planning on doing when he withdrew some Gillyweed from his pocket. It never hurt to have a supply of some, particularly when he often spent long periods swimming in the Great Lake earlier in the year.

"Oh no. Please don't tell me you're thinking about it. We don't even know it's the right one. _At least_ try Accio first."

"Alright, Accio Excalibur," said Harry, pointing at the lake below, in an offhanded way as though he wasn't that invested in Tonks' method. To nobody's surprise, not even Tonks's, it didn't work. Preparing for a dive, Harry glanced back at Tonks. "Well, here goes nothing, I guess."

Tonks suddenly hit him with an unfamiliar spell. "There. If you hit ground in the next thirty minutes, you'll just bounce off it like a trampoline and It won't hurt you at all. Happy?"

"Thanks," Harry said. "Alright, I'll see you on the other side, hopefully with Excalibur."

"If not?" This came from Lupin.

"Presume the worst," said Harry, and without further ado, dived into the lake after taking the gillyweed and casting a _Point Me_ spell in the direction of its intended target. He swam down, heading deeper into the lake, keeping his wand at hand managing to cast a _Lumos_ spell to light his way forward in the darkness. The teenager fought against the cold temperature of the lake, battling against the elements as he pushed his way deeper, presuming that the sword would be at the bottom. He was thankful that there were no magical creatures that he encountered in the lake, eventually spotting a shining, bright light after what seemed like an hour of searching in the cold water. Pursuing towards the light, Harry found himself drawn ever closer in, and eventually, came crashing down inside a cave, out of the water and onto rock. Climbing to his feet and casting a drying spell, he was confused by the fact that despite the cave stretching out into the open lake, the water was simply bouncing off the entrance, as if it was supported by some sort of forcefield. He was about to touch the water, when a voice behind him said, "I would appreciate it if you didn't do that."

"Who are you?" Harry spun around to face the voice in the darkness. It came from a female source, who had black hair and haunting, entrancing eyes. Her appearance was something simple, clad in relatively plain clothes for the era that she came from, looking out of place next to Harry's anachronistic jeans and _The Clash_ T-Shirt.

"I believe you know who I am," said the woman. She was middle aged, between twenty and thirty, and struck up an intimidating presence that made her presence felt in the cave. "I am what you call the Lady of the Lake, in your legends. And I would assume you are truly desperate to come to me to help. That Camelot has opened its doors once more, and I think I know why. I felt the Earth shake, the cry of the falling star. Mordred has risen. He walks this Earth and it will not be long before he gets what he wants."

"I don't suppose you have Excalibur?" Harry asked, optimistically. "It's the only weapon we have that can defeat Mordred."

"I do not," said the woman, causing a dejected look to appear on Harry's face. "But do not worry. He does."

"Harry," said a voice from behind him, and Harry turned around to see an aging Arthur Pendragon standing behind him. "Now there's a face I never expected to see again. Centuries have gone past and you have aged not a single day. I fear you may have not told me the whole truth about where you are from."

"Well you wouldn't exactly have believed me if I said I'm from nineteen-ninety-five, would you?" said Harry, causing a smile from Arthur in return. His grey beard covered most of his face and he had obviously stopped aging from the point of his death, whenever that was in the past. "I see you have questions, and plenty of them. But time is of the essence. I understand Mordred has risen. Hogwarts has fallen, and he almost has the Spear of Destiny. That cannot be allowed to happen. If Mordred gains the power to unmake reality, then I fear the universe may be well and truly lost. Luckily for us, he, much like you, does not know how to use it. Although I fear it may only be a matter of time before he learns. He was always… a fast learner."

"What happened between the two of you?"

"You must have heard the legends," said Arthur, smiling. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. I would love to offer you help outside of this cave but the fact of the matter is, I cannot. Nimue, that is the Lady of the Lake over there, has gifted me immortality so that I might one day be of use to future generations, should Mordred awaken again. I cannot step forth from this cave without age immediately catching up to me. So whatever knowledge I have to tell you must be told within these walls… in, let's see. How much time have we got? An hour?"

"But that's a lifetime of knowledge. How could you possibly expect to tell me all of this… in half an hour?"

"You don't need to know a lifetime's worth of knowledge," said Arthur. "A _lifetime_ 's worth of knowledge isn't going to help you defeat Mordred. What is going to help you defeat Mordred however is knowing what his weaknesses are. Knowing how to defeat him. Training you to exploit those weaknesses. I'll admit, the last time I stopped him, I had help. I had Merlin. I had Slytherin. I had Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, the greatest witches and wizards ever to have lived. But friends are your most important weapon. You have that. Mordred does not. Remember that. He has corrupted underlings to his cause, do you think anyone serves someone like Mordred because they want to, out of the goodness of their heart? No. It is because he corrupts them. Twists their imaginations into what they want to hear. That is not loyalty. That is brainwashing. There's a difference. Differences that can be stopped, just like they did before."

"How?"

"Let me show you," said Arthur, a smile on his face. "Come with me Harry. I believe you have experienced time travel before?"

"By proxy."

"Good. Then I expect you not to throw up immediately upon reaching our destination." 

"Wait…"

 **II.**

The cave vanished from view, replaced this time by the interiors of a wooden building. A roof kept the rain from hitting any of its occupants, but water still found a way to fit through the cracks, especially as it was only held up by corner posts that made the exteriors vulnerable to the air and large gusts of wind. Hay was strewn across the surface as loud cheers could be heard in the background, as the last of the men in front of the new arrivals rushed forward, out of the gate into a fighting arena. Harry and Arthur appeared just behind them, Arthur moving aside just in time to see Harry throw up violently just in front of his feet. "Sorry," Harry apologised, wiping his mouth clean, coughing. He noticed that unlike last time his anachronistic t-shirt and clothes had been replaced by more era-appropriate battle gear, and he felt an unnatural grip in his hand in the form of a sword.

Looking over for a minute he came to the conclusion that there was no mistake about it, _this sword_ was Excalibur. It bore all the correct symbol and insignia that identified it as Arthur's legendary weapon, quite possibly the most famous sword of all both magical and muggle myth and legend. The grip of the sword felt heavy in his hand, forcing him grasp it with his weaker left hand as well as his right, holding it firm. "Where… wait, when are we?"

"It doesn't matter," Arthur said again. "This is to test your skills. Your abilities. A trial by fire, if you will. You have been given certain upgrades from my magical friend that come with the battle at hand that will kick in when you enter the arena. You must use the weapon to defeat your foes, as quickly as possible. Master the weapon. Become one with it. It is the only way."

"But… I still have questions. How can you time travel if you said you'd die outside of the cave?"

"There's no time!" snapped Arthur, and shoved Harry forward. Calling after Harry, he shouted, "Go! Fight! Fight like your life depends on it. _Fight_!"

Harry felt himself transforming as he was slowly pushed forwards, the spell work from the Lady in the Lake kicking in. He felt himself grow stronger, and more confident as a result, his muscles becoming more suited to hand to hand combat than even before he walked into the arena. A loud cheer could be heard from the stadium around as he walked onto what resembled a battlefield. An announcer was forced to shout over the voice of the agitated crowd, no magical enhancement or electronic speaker to give his voice some added broadcast range, said, "Ladies and gentlemen, it appears another contender has joined the competition! Please be sure to give this mysterious latecomer your most gracious welcome. And remember, last man standing… wins freedom!"

As if on cue, the soldiers one by one turned in the mud to look at Harry. They were already soaking wet in the arena, with an unhealthy mix of mud and water making their movement and pace slow and sluggish. Harry advanced, practising his sword-wielding skills that he had mainly learned from action movies, having not had the luxury of any personal trainer in the field of sword-to-sword combat before, and soon found himself instantly in over his head and wishing that he had his wand with him, which for whatever reason, he lacked. Maybe it was another test by Arthur himself but one thing was certain, this was a fight he could not lose. Opting for the offensive strategy he lashed out, pushing the first man backwards with a kick and then bringing the sword, Excalibur, down on him. He swung the sword around to stop the second man but was tackled into the mud by the third who had abandoned his own weapon in favour of a more hand-to-hand-combat. Both the prisoner and Harry went down into the mud to the loud roar of the crowd, as Harry threw the third man off him only to be tackled by the fourth and the fifth respectively, his arms pinned down. He lashed up, kicking the fourth man between the legs causing him to crumple to the floor and used his newfound enhanced strength to push forward, pushing the fifth man back into the two behind him. Covered in sweat and mud, Harry could see Arthur watching from the entrance building, observing his combat skills.

Harry went for his sword, picking it up just in time to meet the blade of the sixth man, who despite the dusty mud and rain, he recognised almost instantly. Shooting a confused look at the older version of King Arthur he found himself surprised to see a younger version standing there, looking as surprised as he was to see Harry again. "You…" the younger version of Arthur addressed Harry, glancing at the man's sword. "Where did you get that?"

"A friend gave it to me," said Harry, as both swords collided. A bright light smashed through the arena when Excalibur made contact with Excalibur, sending a shockwave powerful enough to knock everyone else over. Frozen in time for a moment, Arthur and Harry stood face to face in the arena. The rain had stopped, literally stopped – there was no movement downwards in the water droplets and no sound coming from the roaring crowd. There was just silence. "It's the same sword. Just… I think, from a different time."

"You wizards never make any sense," Arthur said. "Go on. Why has Mordred sent you here this time?"

"He didn't send me the last time," returned Harry. "As far as I was aware this was going to be a simple training lesson. I never imagined to be matching wits with the King himself."

"Oh, so I do become a King at some point in my future?" Arthur said, smiling at Harry as he realised his mistake, having not known at what part of history Arthur had come from. "Thanks for that. And yes, I know you're from the future. I explained it to Merlin, my friend. He is waiting outside those gates for me with an escape plan in mind. Care to join?"

"I don't think…." Harry said, glancing back at the older Arthur only to find out that he had vanished. He jumped at the chance to meet Merlin in the flesh, nodding. "Sure."

"So… any idea how we break this... what do you call it?"

"Time lock?" said Harry with a guess, shrugging his shoulders. "Sorry. This is my first time."

"Well, let's both do this together," said Arthur, nodding at the older version of Excalibur. "When these swords touch, we reunite time again. If not…"

"Well at least we will have each other's company," said Harry. Both swords met seconds later,, resuming the passage of time, and instantly, Arthur and Harry spun around to deal with the nearest soldiers. Sensing the Harry and Arthur were getting out of hand, the announcer gave the order to make the fight a bit more interesting and in rushed several well-armoured guards. Three prisoners turned to face them, abandoning Harry and Arthur and instead focused on the guards themselves, but were quickly cut down in brutal, visceral fashion. All the while, the rain was still hammering down on the mud-soaked soldiers.

"So how do we want to do this?" Arthur said.

"Together," Harry said, as one guard lashed forward. He grabbed the outstretched leg of the guard that had come to kick Harry down and yanked it forwards, hearing a distinctive snap as the guard fell to his knees in agony. Two more guards piled on top of Harry but they were cut down by Arthur who had grabbed Harry's lost sword, and was now wielding both Excaliburs at once in a display of unrivalled skill, taking on three men at once with the force that showed why he had become a legend. Rushing forward, he attacked the three men behind, engaging them all in a duel at once. Harry was forced to pick up the sword from the guard whose broken leg was causing him to scream in agony and rushed forward, crashing into a nearby prisoner as he did so. The prisoner knocked Harry backwards and grabbed him in a headlock, causing Harry to drop his stolen sword whilst another prisoner began to deliver punches to his gut. Using his strength, Harry pushed with all he could bring to the table, putting in sheer willpower to bring the man crushing down into the mud behind him, moving to the left just in time to grab his sword again to block another attack from a nearby guard.

Eventually, the numbers were whittled down to three or four guards and two prisoners, the groaning, mostly injured bodies on the floor took up a large portion of the arena. However, before Harry and Arthur could make their move on the remaining guards, A loud hushed silence overtook the crowd as several, at least two dozen archers made their way through, pointing loaded arrows at the two. "I'm presuming you don't have a magic wand," said Arthur, glancing down at Harry's pocket. "That would come in handy right now."

"Don't worry," said Harry. "You had a backup plan, right? With Merlin?"

"Well…"

"What do you mean, _Well_?"

A loud cry of objections ran out among the crowd, and it was pretty clear that they had erupted into some sort of song. A song of objection, a song and a symbol of defiance. The few guards that were still standing in the arena looked on, betrayed in the arena, almost out of their depths by this newfound development. Harry didn't recognise the chant. "It's Albion's Song," said Arthur. "I would imagine it has changed quite a bit since your day, Harrison."

"One more thing…"

"Your name isn't Harrison? I worked that out a while ago," said Arthur. "You don't lie very easily. Plus, you look exactly the same since when I first met you. I have aged five years. You? I would hazard a guess that you do not even look a day older."

"Well, you'd be right," said Harry, realising it had technically not even been a full day since he had last met Arthur. "Real name's Harry Potter. I'm from the future."

"The future?"

"The year nineteen-ninety-five," Harry said. "I figured there's no harm in telling you."

"Nineteen ninety-five?" Arthur said, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting. That is quite some way into the future indeed." 

"You know, about that question… That wasn't what I wanted to say," said Harry. "Because I've heard Albion's Song before. This isn't it."

"I think I know what the song is."

"Oh?" Harry said, with a smirk. "This is La Marseilles. It's French."

"Preposterous," Arthur said.

"And it also wasn't written until seventeen-ninety-two," said Harry. "Please can you tell me that you didn't seriously think that this very distinctive _French_ speaking National Anthem was your anthem."

"You appear to be right. I wonder… who is responsible for this? You?"

"No," admitted Harry. "I wouldn't be able to do that. But I have a feeling I know who might be."

"Who?"

"I'll tell you later. If you have a backup plan, now might be a good time to use it," said Harry. Arthur looked at him and nodded. Instantly, the ground below them gave way, plunging Harry and Arthur into the underground caverns beneath the arena. Instantly climbing to their feet, both allies found themselves met with an attack in the form of mobile and panicked horses, rushed into life when their barrier had broken, forced down into the abyss like everyone else. The horses charged, stampeding forward at the sign of their newfound freedom. Both Harry and Arthur were forced to move to the left of the cavern, but the oncoming onslaught of horses was too much for them to stand by the side. Timing their jumps, Arthur and Harry quickly found themselves clinging onto the horses as they headed down the tunnel beneath the arena. "Is this the backup plan?" Harry shouted over the stampede.

Arthur only chuckled in response, too busy controlling his frantic horse to pay him any mind, and Harry realised that he was enjoying this. It wasn't long before they burst out into sunlight, but sunlight had come with a cost, there was no route out of the arena apart from a dead drop into the abyss below. Arthur and Harry were forced to pull their horses to a stop as the ones around them did the same, but others were not lucky. Looking back at the way they came both could easily see soldiers who by now had traversed down the gap towards them. "Okay…" Harry said, his horse just about keeping itself on the edge of the rocky cliff. "I'm going to assume we're about to get wet. Again."

"That would be a correct assumption," said Arthur, and without further ado, jumped off the cliff into the water below. Seeing little other option, Harry too, climbed off his own horse and jumped, but rather than hitting the water and sinking, hit the water and found himself seconds later emerging on dry land, or rather, in a cave, the very same cave where he had met the older version of Arthur.

"So La Marseilles was you?" Harry said, as the older Arthur signified his return to the present and the return of his previous, modern clothing. Arthur smiled. "I thought you didn't know how to use magic."

"Actually, that was my doing," admitted Nimue. "I like to have fun when it comes to visions, make things interesting. Arthur here has still not grasped the rudimentary concept of magic, even after all of these years."

"That wasn't real?"

"Of course it wasn't real."

"Sure felt like it. So. What was I supposed to learn from that?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Expect the unexpected. Rule Number one when dealing with Mordred," said Arthur. "And… always take advantage of your surroundings. Remember, you know Hogwarts, much like I knew that arena. I knew I could never be beaten on my home turf."

"The arena was your home turf?"

"It was where I learned to fight as a young boy," said Arthur with a smile. "So yes. That was my home turf. Now, it appears you have a date with a Dark Lord. I wish you the best of luck, Harry. Remember. As long as Mordred doesn't know how to use the Spear, there is still time. But he is a fast learner. He will learn quickly. Wait too long and you might not like the results."

"Here," Arthur said, as Harry noticed that he was holding Excalibur for the first time, properly, holding the sword by its hilt and passing it across to Harry. "What was once mine is now yours."

Harry grasped Excalibur firmly. The sword felt heavy in his hands, as he looked it over, almost breathless again. He'd held it before in the vision, but this for the first time was in his proper, real hand, and it felt ten times heavier. "Thanks. I don't know what to say."

"Just do one thing for me," Arthur said, glancing up at Harry, who felt himself getting tugged away from the mystical cave and away from Arthur and Nimue. "Don't lose."

Once Harry had been pulled away, Arthur glanced across at Nimue. "I'm getting far too old for this kind of thing. Do you think he can do this?"

"He is Harry Potter. In another world, he was the Chosen One. The fact that he is not here should make no difference at all."

"Besides, that is the other Dark Lord we're talking about," Arthur said, glancing across at Nimue. "The Pretender. This is a different matter entirely. There are no prophecies concerning Mordred, not any relevant ones, anyway."

"You would be correct."

"Should we have told him about the curse?" Arthur said, raising an eyebrow at Nimue, who shook her head.

"There is no need. He will learn."

"And if the next person to walk through that door happens to be Mordred?"

"Then we must pray that whatever God or Goddess is listening is a kind one."

 **III.**

It was sunrise when Harry found himself being pulled out of the water by none other than Fleur Delacour. Spitting water out of his mouth, he was quickly warmed with a calming spell. "Is this it?" Krum asked, glancing down at Excalibur, which had washed up onto the small, pebble-beach at the bottom of Camelot that had become more present in the daytime. The view of Camelot was much clearer too in the daytime, and Harry could see the endless forest and the extent of the lake with his own two eyes. "Excalibur?"

"No, it's actually a lightsaber," said Harry causing Krum's eyebrows to frown at the lack of knowledge of a major muggle pop culture movie series, something that never ever seemed to get old for him regardless of which wizard he was talking to. "That's actually not a bad idea, though. That said. I could probably try transfiguring Excalibur into a lightsaber. Mordred's reaction alone would be priceless."

"He's been stuck in a prison for centuries, I highly doubt he even knows what _Star Wars_ is," Lupin said. "And I would have to forbid you from trying to transfigure our only hope at stopping him into a weapon from a work of fiction just because you wanted to make a joke."

"Fine," Harry said, knowing that Lupin was joking. Tonks, now with pink hair and a hoodie, had joined them by the water.

"Fletcher had an errand to run," said Tonks. "Sorry. He won't be sticking around."

"Oh. Well, that's disappointing," said Harry, climbing to his feet, wiping the water out of his hair. "I hope everyone managed to get some rest."

"We did," Lupin said. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine," said Harry, looking at the group gathered on the water's edge, as the sun rose in the background. "Right, now this is it. I asked you before we attacked Hogwarts if you wanted to back out. That offer still stands. It's not too late to back out."

"Not a chance," said Tonks. "We're doing this with you. Magnificent Seven, remember?"

"Technically it would be more like the Magnificent Five. Or The Famous Five, actually. Because that's a thing," said Harry.

"We can be the Famous Five," said Krum, and then added, raising an eyebrow. "Are they as brave and heroic as The Magnificent Seven?"

"Um," Harry said, glancing at Lupin. "Yeah. I think so…" 

"Then we are the Famous Five," proudly declared Krum. "So. Do we have a plan?"

"As a matter of fact," said Harry, with a smile. "I do."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 _The main reason why I wanted to throw in the French National Anthem in an historically anachronistic setting was because why not? It was also a nod to the fantastic (Escape to) Victory movie by John Huston, and I like to imagine that The Lady in the Lake (who in this case is given the name Nimue), gets a bit bored when she needs to help out heroes and likes to have a little fun._

 _Enid Blyton shoutout here felt appropriate, as did Ten Years After for the chapter title._


	34. Bring It On Home To Me

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Thirty-Four: Bring It On Home To Me**

 **I.**

"So how are we going to get past the gate?" Tonks asked, as they made their way down past Hogsmeade. "Last time out, you and your dad were busted. It wouldn't be very good for us to get surprised again."

"There's the Shrieking Shack," said Harry. "There's a passageway from there into the castle."

"Too obvious," dismissed Lupin. "It's where they used to take me, James and Sirius will know all about that. I wouldn't be surprised if they had guards posted over all the secret entrances in Hogwarts."

"Well, we're going to have to get in somehow," said Harry. "The Shrieking Shack feels like our best bet, they'll probably think that the Whomping Willow will do the guarding for them, so they'll put less guards there, if any at all. Plus, it's almost in direct view of the castle grounds."

"That still doesn't sound very good for us," said Fleur. "The whole castle will be on us almost instantly."

"But we have the element of surprise," said Harry. "And they'll have to fend of the Willow. I reckon it could work. And they're probably too busy focused on trying to understand the Spear anyway."

"That's still all of Hogwarts, plus most of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons," said Krum. "Far too many people to deal with at once."

"Well it's the best of a bad option," said Harry. "Unless you've got any better ideas."

Krum quickly shut up. "No."

"Alrighty. Here goes."

They vanished from Camelot, leaving the once proud city behind in the darkness. The group found themselves reappearing from view just on the border of Hogsmeade, which was quiet for the most part as the sun rose. Food was something that they helped themselves to quickly, as Hogsmeade had been relatively untouched from the brainwashed students who had preferred to close ranks and keep their quarters. "You know, George," Rosmerta was discussing to one of her customers, "It's been awful quiet from Hogwarts lately. We haven't had any students in weeks, these are the first ones we've had in ages. Do you think something's wrong?"

"Well, let's ask them," George said, turning his attention to Harry and the group, who were sat at the table, hungrily eating breakfast like it was the last supper. Dressed in civilian muggle clothing it was hard to imagine that they were the champions of Hogwarts, and as long as Fleur and Krum didn't speak, their accents couldn't be pinned down. "Hey, you lot! Why aren't there any students coming these days?"

"It's the Triwizard Tournament, sir," Lupin decided to answer for him. "They're all busy, apparently, preparing for the final round."

"Shit," Harry swore in realization. "I'd forgotten about that. When's the final round due to take place again?"

"In three days," confirmed Lupin, with a dawning realization on his own face. "Oh, Merlin's Beard. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, we can still do this in time, right?" Fleur said. "We won't lose our magic."

"We can still do this in time," agreed Krum. "The final task. I wonder how they're going to prepare it in time or what it could be."

"Whatever it is, I don't think it matters too much now. Mordred is a higher priority, and always has been. Besides, if we lose, I don't think we'll have to worry about the loss of our magic."

They finished eating a few seconds after the conversation fell silent, tipped Rosmerta and left the building. "Why don't we go through Honeydukes?" asked Tonks as they made their way down Hogsmeade's street, a sombre procession. "We can cut through there."

"Too obvious, that's the one that will be guarded the most heavily," said Lupin. "If there's one passage that we used to use more than the Shack, it was the Honeydukes one."

"Stop," Krum said, suddenly, and pulled the person at the front of the group, who was Fleur, back from where they were about to walk around the corner. Everyone behind him stopped too, crashing to a halt. "You're right. It's guarded."

Harry glanced around the corner and found a Ravenclaw and a Durmstrang student acting inconspicuously around Honeydukes, with Aurora Sinestra watching on from inside the shop, pretending to pick some sweets. Harry wondered how they regularly kept guard of the place but then presumed that the shopkeeper had probably been brainwashed as well, they were just lucky that there was no passage through Rosmerta's or else there would have been trouble. They quickly backed up and headed down a side exit, taking the back route past Honeydukes. Eventually, after making their way through the woods, they stumbled across the unguarded Shrieking Shack, and made their way inside.

"This place brings back memories," Lupin said, glancing at the walls. "If it weren't for that incident last year…"

Harry remembered that particular debacle all too well. He glanced around the living room of the Shack, and looked out through the window. Through it, Hogwarts was just visible in the background, their first sight of the fallen castle. "There it is. Hogwarts. Any plans?"

"Not get brainwashed," said Tonks, standing next to him. "Have you thought about a cure yet? For the students?"

"I'm working on it," said Harry, hoping that Mordred's defeat would lead to their brainwashing being released, hoping against hope, but if it wasn't, then there would be trouble, because without their leader, who knew what a horde of brainwashed students would do. "What's the plan?"

 **II.**

Mordred found himself alone in Dumbledore's office. He had sculptured Dumbledore's chair into a throne, made of gold, giving it a resounding, dominating impression in the castle. The Phoenix was gone and wasn't coming back any time soon, and all the portraits on the walls, save one, were empty. "You'll never get away with this you know," said Phineas Nigellus Black, Hogwarts' one-time Headmaster. "There's always someone out there who will try and stop you."

"Not when I know how to use the Spear, my friend," Mordred said with a smile. "I will give you something, however, Mr. Black. You are brave, to stand here and talk to me. All of your friends have left."

"They are not my _friends,_ " Black said. "I never particularly cared for them when I was alive, and I never particularly cared for them while I'm dead. And you should know this, Mordred."

"It doesn't matter to me," Mordred said, holding the spear in his hands. He had taken it from the chamber without any resistance, the only painting that offered any objections was powerless to stop him, and his words in which called for a reckoning someday soon were ignored, feeling hollow. "Albus Dumbledore won't just be the last Headmaster of Hogwarts, there will be no more Hogwarts. Not now. Not yesterday. Not ever."

"I'd like to see you try," Black said, a dawning look of confident realisation appeared on his face. "Because I've worked out something of yours. Something very important. You haven't… oh, this is gold. You don't know how to use it! You have the Spear of Destiny, everything you ever wanted, an artefact that is _right there_ in your hands, the reality-maker, and you don't know how to use it all! You are stuck in a world where you have to play by its rules."

"Enough," Mordred said, calmly. There was no anger in his comment as he spoke it, but it was powerful enough to instantly silence Black. "You have greatly mistaken why the reality has not been altered yet. I know precisely how to change reality. It is just… waiting for the right moment. The right person, if you will."

"The right person? You have everyone in Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons bent to your will. You have achieved what He Who Must Not Be Named could not," Black said. "Who could you possibly want that much?"

A knock on the door signalled the end to the conversation, as Harper Potter entered, followed closely by Pansy Parkinson. "What do you have to report?" Mordred asked. "Is he still alive?"

"No, My Lord," Pansy said. "Grindelwald is dead, suicide."

"Impossible. A man such as Grindelwald would never…" Black said.

"He was visited by a group of people before his death, however," Harper said. "Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks and Mundungus Fletcher. I believe they are working with my brother, and I believe he is The Man in the Suit, especially with all the evidence. And… going by the material learned from Snape's mind, he touched the Spear in the Department of Mysteries. He may fit your plans."

"Excellent."

"Should I go and get him, my Lord?" Harper added, cautiously.

"Yes. Go. Fetch him. Bring him to me," said Mordred. He turned back to Black, only to find that his painting had gone, and Black had vanished from view. "Ah. I was wondering when he would leave. No matter."

"Where could my brother be my Lord, do you have any ideas?"

"No. But I do know where he is going," said Mordred. "But that doesn't matter. I still want you to look for him. After all, the longer we wait, the more chance the enemy has at resisting…"

 **III.**

Harry threw open the doorway to the secret passageway, and remembered his third year. He remembered the events in the courtyard, how things almost had gotten out of hand with Pettigrew. "He was planning on taking my brother here," Lupin sensed what Harry was thinking about. "Pettigrew. We learned this from him afterwards. Apparently, there was a Death Eater who was supposed to wait for him. We searched the place, but he never showed."

"He probably bailed," said Harry. "Hey… are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about the prospect of facing Sirius and James," said Lupin. "They're both brainwashed. They won't be holding back."

"You'll be fine," said Harry. "We can do this."

"No you can't," a familiar voice from behind Harry caused him to spin around, revealing Black waiting there in the painting, the headmaster having travelled from Dumbledore's office. "They're coming, it's not safe here. Why did you come back to Hogwarts, Potter?"

"To stop Mordred," insisted Harry.

"That's exactly what he wants you to do," warned Black. "Or try to at least. I was listening in on what he said. Only with the last person to touch the Spear can it be used, and apparently, you were the last person to touch it… you stupid boy, I might add. Do you know what that thing does to your mind?"

Harry gulped, and immediately saw the not-Riddle standing in the background, waving. He half expected whatever the thing was to say something, but there was nothing. He mimed pointing at an invisible watch on his hand, as if to suggest ' _very soon',_ and then vanished from view. "You should lock him up," said Black. "Take Potter, run and hide. Go to Peru. I hear there are rumours of a gateway to an alternate reality that has been opened in Peru. Maybe you can escape Mordred through there."

"Peru? There's a way to an alternate reality in _Peru_?" Harry raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "No. I'm not leaving. I have Excalibur. I can defeat him."

"The arrogance, my boy! The arrogance! You should have been put in Gryffindor for merely suggesting such a decision of taking on Mordred single-handedly," said Black. "Not even Gryffindor, Slytherin, Merlin, King Arthur, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff united could stop him alone! They had entire armies at their call! What do you have? Two people who aren't yet even out of school? An Auror who hasn't even served her first full year? And someone who couldn't even break the Defence Against the Dark Arts curse! You stand no chance."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. But there's nobody left. The Ministry's too busy dealing with the most recent attack and is probably looking for the Spear as we speak It's also too corrupt to be of any of use. Durmstrang, Beauxbatons have fallen. The Americans have their own problems and won't get involved in international affairs, not after what happened last time." said Harry. "There is nobody else. It's just us."

"And the resistance ends with you," said a voice from behind Harry, who turned back from Black to the corridor below. There was the brainwashed Harper Potter, standing alone. "I'd like to thank you, Headmaster, for leading me here. I could never have found them without you."

"I… I would never do such a thing!" Black said.

"Not intentionally. The first thing Mordred did was to put a trace on every portrait in Hogwarts, monitor where they went, what painting they went to, who they spoke to, who they saw," said Harper. "The whole castle, mobilised against intruders. We knew exactly where you went. Don't worry, I have three more of my friends waiting outside. We know you're too noble to kill me, so I have that advantage on my side. I thought I would come in and give you the opportunity to surrender. Surrender now, and be a part of something much greater than yourselves. You must know it is hopeless to resist."

"Well, it hasn't stopped me yet," said Harry, glancing directly into Harper's eyes, seeing the clear sign that she was brainwashed. "I'm sorry that this ever happened to you, Harper. But I know Mordred is watching. I know he's listening. And know this, Mordred. I have something that can destroy you. And I'm coming, Mordred. I'm coming for you, and nobody in the castle can stop me. Throw the whole school at me if you want. I will keep fighting to the bitter end. And here's what I'm going to do. I'm not just going to keep fighting. I'm going to _win._ I'm going to wipe you from the face of this Earth. When I'm done with you the mere name _Mordred_ will be wiped from history itself. There isn't going to be a prison that you will be locked away in, no impenetrable prisons that you can escape from. You're going to die, and it won't be a death you can come back from this time. I'm coming to _end you._ I will use everything, down to my own bare hands _to end you._ You get all that, Mordred?"

"I'm impressed," Harper said, the speech appearing not to register with her. "Not quite Shakespeare, though, I'll admit. How long did you spend coming up with that?"

"Not long," said Harry. "I just wanted to keep you distracted long enough so my friend could get close enough behind you."

Mundungus Fletcher had emerged from the tunnel. Harry of course had seen him coming when Harper hadn't, her attention too busy focused on Harry himself. Fletcher clobbered the brainwashed child with an object the rough equivalent size and structure of a baseball bat, knocking her out unconscious. "Sorry," Fletcher apologised. "But the kids outside have all been distracted as well. I charmed them to make them think they were looking at the Shack when they're actually looking at the lake. Thought you could use the distraction."

"Nice job," said Harry. "What was your errand?"

"Well, I did some digging into brainwashing and had a lead I wanted to follow up on," said Fletcher. "And it turns out that back in the day, at least, Mordred's brainwashing wasn't very effective because, get this, it could easily be undone. I don't know if you noticed, but they're extremely vulnerable to loud noise. That's why they went for the troublemakers first. The people much likely to create _loud noise._ Play something loud, and it zaps the brainwashing dead. Kills it. Loud screaming'll do, but it has to be repetitive, played at a high volume on the right frequency."

"Oh, Dung, have I ever told you how brilliant you are?" said Harry, leading Fletcher into the room, carrying the unconscious Harper. Tonks, Krum and Fleur looked up from where they were sat in the kitchen across at them, alarmed.

"Dung! I didn't hear you sneak in," said Tonks. "To be honest though, I was kind of enjoying being the Famous Five. I guess that makes us, what? The Spectacular Six?"

"Secret Six, actually," said Harry. "But it doesn't matter now. Dung here has a plan to undo the Brainwashing. Speak up, Dung."

"Well, like I told Harry, we find the right frequency that the students are communicating on, we can kill the brainwashing," said Dung. "Mordred is using something tall. Something with a giant hole in the middle to broadcast the frequency across the entire school. We just have to find that, cancel it, replace it with our own signal loud enough to deafen the old one, and all it needs to be separated from its owner is a few seconds. It might be a good idea to test it on your sister first, though, mate. Before you go broadcasting and end up deafening the school with no end result."

"Good idea," said Harry, glancing across at Remus. "You say you were kept here as a kid when you were all wolfed up, right? Wolfed up being the technical term. I don't suppose that cage wouldn't happen to be around somewhere?"

"We never came back for it," said Remus, "But yes. The cage would still be around."

"Excellent. Werewolf cages are so strong that they double up as some kind of Faraday Cage. Blocking signals from getting in or getting out. We play something on a decentralised frequency, and with Harper cut off from the main network…. Boom. No more Mordred."

"No more Mordred," Remus said. "I like the sound of that. Tell me, Harry. What sound could be played so loud that could cancel out Mordred's brainwashing?"

Harry's eyes lit up in excitement. "I know just the thing."

 **IV.**

"What kind of music is this?" Fleur couldn't help but shout loudly over the music that was playing on high volume throughout the cellar of the Shrieking Shack, loud enough to force even Krum and Harry to cover their ears. Broadcast on several frequencies, different beats of the same song was playing, louder and louder.

"Motörhead," Harry shouted back, loudly.

"What?"

" _MOTORHEAD_!" Harry called back louder, as Fleur nodded, showing that she understood.

"How much longer… do we have to play this? I might go deaf."

"That's the whole idea," said Harry. "But we play it until Mordred's gone."

"How will we know when that happens?"

"Keep watching," said Harry, eerily reminded of a scene from _The Exorcist_ in the way that Harper's body was twitching against its own will, her body clearly trying to react against the brainwashing, fighting back inside the Faraday Cage. "Come on Harper. You can do it."

Eventually, the screams subsided, and Harper stopped moving. Cautiously, Harry approached, and eventually, was relieved to see the confirmation of the distinctive look into her eyes, which had very much returned to normal. He nodded to Lupin, who switched off the music, causing Fleur and Krum to give mock reactions of joy at no longer having to listen to something that loud. "Harper?" Harry asked cautiously as her eyes flickered open.

"Harry?" she asked, confused. "Where am I? What happened?"

"Welcome back, Harper," said Harry. "You're currently in the Shrieking Shack. I guess we've got a lot to fill you in on. Tell me… what's the last thing you remember?"

 **V.**

"My Lord," said one of the students, whose name Mordred didn't particularly care to know. "It's Potter, Sir. She is no longer answering the call."

"I know," said Mordred. "They have found a weakness. This cannot be allowed to get out of hand anymore. It is time. Assemble the army. I want _everyone_ waiting outside the Shack for them. No exceptions, recall the guards, recall _everyone._ Potter will come to me."

"I will broadcast the signal, my Lord. Do you want people guarding the transmissions relay? Just in case?"

"Leave five there," Mordred said. He was basically aware that he was technically having a conversation with himself, but the brainwashed student allowed himself to spit ideas back at him through another person to test how ridiculous they sounded. If to him, they sounded ridiculous, then they would not be executed. "But there will be no troubles there. Potter is far more interested in myself."

 **VI.**

"So, you actually saved me by playing _Stay Clean_?" Harper asked, impressed. "That's actually a pretty decent choice, I'm not going to lie. Thanks for including that on my mixtape. It's pretty loud, but I dig it. Okay. What are we going to do now?"

"Well, I'm going to walk through there and face Mordred," said Harry. "Meanwhile, The Professor, Tonks, Fleur and Viktor are going to transmit the signal from the broadcasting centre. Something loud, Tonks, I'll let you pick this time."

"Thanks, Harry," said Tonks, as Harry threw Harper's mixtape across to her, which she caught. "But don't you need more people fighting Mordred with you? He seems like the greater threat."

"No," said Harry. "Mordred will not care about anyone who comes with me. He just wants me, anyone else is in the firing line. He has enough soldiers now, he doesn't need anymore."

"Okay," said Tonks.

"But what about me?" Harper put in. "What am I going to do?"

"You're going to stay here," said Harry. "You're not ready for this, Harper. You've only just recovered, we're going to need you in the Shack where it's safe."

"But I want to fight," protested Harper. "I'm not giving up now."

"You'll do your best here," said Harry. "We need someone to monitor comms, in case something goes wrong. Plus, you get a cool codename. Does Mockingbird sound good to you?"

"Mockingbird sounds good to me," said Harper, sighing. "I guess I don't have much choice in the matter."

"Excellent," said Harry. "In that case, welcome to the team. Alright, everyone. Let's go and save the world."

Harry bade farewell to the group, and headed down the tunnel alone, Excalibur kept in his enhanced pocket, and his wand in his hand. Advancing forward, he saw Riddle waiting for him in the tunnel. "Naughty boy," the not-Riddle said. "You're lying to them. They don't know what you've worked out. You plan on surrendering"

"I wouldn't exactly call it surrendering," said Harry. "There's a difference - surrendering's the only way I can get close enough to stab him without getting stunned. Besides. Weren't you going to tell me who you are the next time you showed up? Or was that just a lie?"

"This is just a prequel to the main event," said the not-Riddle, as Harry made it to the edge of the tunnel, where a steep incline began to appear. "A pre-credits title sequence, if you will, seeing as you're so insistent on using muggle terminology. A cold open, where the real fun is about to begin. Forget Mordred, forget Riddle, they don't matter. The real person you should be worrying about is _Me._ Me, Me, Me. Little old' Me. Any guesses on who I really am? Come on, I'll give you three tries."

"Honestly, you're just wasting my time at this point," Harry said. "Is there anything I can do to make you shut up?"

"I can think of many things. Guess the question. Solve the riddle. Or… you can put down a marker. Give me a timer, sometime soon. When I'm going to show up."

"When I die," said Harry. "You can show up when I die."

Riddle chuckled. "Oh, come on. You and I both know that might not happen anytime soon."

" _Fine,_ " said Harry. "After the Triwizard Tournament. When it's all over. Then I'll talk to you. I'll give you my answer then. And you can have it sooner, if I'm dead within the next few minutes."

"Well now, that's a deal that I can work with," said the not-Riddle. "See you on the other side, Harry Potter! Oh, and best of luck with the whole Mordred thing. Really. I truly mean it. It would be a shame if you died before we got to have our little chat…"

"Well, I'll try not to disappoint you," said Harry, climbing up into the sunlight, where he was exposed for the first time to the Hogwarts air since leaving the castle. He detected that something was amiss from the moment that he left, in that he wasn't immediately whacked by the Willow, which appeared to be caught in a deep slumber. His suspicions were immediately confirmed that something was indeed amiss when he looked up, to the hillside above, which was lined with brainwashed students, over several hundred in number, all with their wands raised, pointing firmly in one direction at Harry. Noticing that they were almost beyond number, he held up his hands in defeat, he grimaced as he was taken in by his brother and father. "Oh come on. This is too good. I never thought I'd actually get the chance to say something like this. Go on then… if you insist. Take me to your leader."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 _Secret Six shoutout! Gail Simone's run is awesome and an absolute joy to read. Next chapter, Harry meets Mordred for the first time. His speech to Mordred through Harper is a shoutout to Laura Roslin's fantastic "I'm Coming for All of You" speech in Blood on the Scales, one of the best Battlestar Galactica episodes._

 _Fanfic recommendation of the chapter is Brennus' brilliant story "Gothic", a complete Harry/Ginny fiction with an interesting twist that's different from most things I've read and I can highly recommend it, even for those who don't particularly enjoy the H/G pairing._

 _As this fic is nearly done, I've started to plot ahead with my next story that I want to do, and I have blurbs of three fics – one where Harry is part of a gang and never went to Hogwarts and rules the criminal underworld, wanting to get his hands on the Philosopher's Stone from under Dumbledore and Voldemort's noses, one inspired by Logan with an older Harry and Dumbledore who are among the last survivors of the resistance in a world where Voldemort won, on the run trying to save The Girl Who Lived from another dimension, and another one which is a crossover with Wonder Woman and the DC Comics Extended Universe. Details on all three are listed on my profile, and for the most part, they're all likely to be a lot shorter than this fic. I'm thinking thirteen chapters maximum for the first two, but the last one might be longer depending on how I want to drag it out and what structure I want to go for. So, I'd appreciate any input on which one you'd like to see next. They will all be different from this one and not a sequel to this one, which is a standalone fic._

 _Film recommendation of the chapter is Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries from 1957, because everyone needs to see at least one Ingmar Bergman movie in their lifetime. This is probably his most accessible out of the four that I've seen so far by him._

 _Oh, and Snape was the one who tried to steal the Spear with Avery in Chapter 1, in case you've forgotten. He was smart enough to work out who Harry is but decided it was in his best interests to keep it a secret._


	35. The Chain

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Thirty-Five: The Chain**

 **I.**

"We're still going to need something to broadcast across the entire school, the circle won't be loud enough on its own," said Tonks. "Even then, I still don't see any circular sphere anywhere that we can use…"

"It's not just one circle," realised Lupin. "It was never just one. Look out that window over there, tell me. What do you see?"

"The Quidditch Pitch," said Tonks, and her eyes widened with the same realisation that had overcome Lupin. "Oh, Merlin's Beard. You're right. It's the Hoops. There's six of them. They're amplifying the broadcast frequency through the hoops. But I don't understand, they're so small and far away from the castle…"

"Doesn't take that much too enhance the quality when you're the greatest Dark Lord ever to have lived, does it?" said Fletcher. "He got his underlings to find a way, and we can too."

"So, what do you suggest?"

"Two-pronged attack," said Fletcher. "If Mordred can broadcast his own frequency, we can hijack it and put it on ours. Repeat the process used on Harper on a much wider scale. We transfer it from the hoops into something else."

"But we don't have anything else."

"I think you'll find we do," said Fletcher. "Right this way. I managed to acquire a couple of things from a muggle camp that might be of use. I'm sure they won't notice that they're missing."

Lupin shot Fletcher a dark look. "What exactly did you steal, Mundungus?"

"It's probably easier if I showed you," said Fletcher, leading them out behind the Shrieking Shack to the clearing. "I had some of my friends bring them up there when I learned that we could break the code."

 **II.**

"Ah. Harry Potter," said Mordred, as Harry was led into the room. He found his wand confiscated but his bag was not searched, still leaving him with access to Excalibur if he wanted it. "Welcome, welcome. It's good of us to finally meet again, after all these years. Tell me. Am I as you expected to be? I hope I didn't disappoint."

"I expected you'd be a little taller," Harry couldn't help but comment, in truth, was surprised at how old Mordred looked, realising he must have been incarcerated in the vault at the end of his years rather than early on. His grey hair gave him the look of a friendly, welcoming old man, and if Harry had known better he would have said that this was not the most feared Dark Lord of all time. "But. Yeah. Nice to meet you again. I don't think you missed much since we last met, just a few centuries. The twentieth century happened, by the way, it was really cool. You should probably check it out before you make sure it never existed."

Mordred laughed. "It appears my reputation has given you the wrong impression. I do not wish to unmake reality. I want to _improve_ it. There are certain things that are setting humanity back. Look how divided your society has become. Magical and muggle, they are shattered and at their most divided when they should be more united than ever. Back in my day, wizards worked well with muggles. We wouldn't have had The Golden Ages of Camelot without Merlin working with Arthur, as much as I am at loath to admit it."

"And how exactly would you go about improving this new world?" Harry said.

"I would make it a better one," Mordred said. "And I would not do it alone… I would need advisors. I already have my loyal followers, but they are… they are only useful to a point. They, in this new world, would be freed from this brainwashing. They in this new world, would life a life of happiness. Everything that they could ever have asked for. I can solve _everything_ here. Cancer. Gone. War. Gone. Famine. Gone. You must truly understand that I am not evil, Harry. These are not evil things. What I want is as much as what the next person wants, everlasting peace for all mankind."

"Then why did Arthur want to stop you?"

"He and I had a falling out," said Mordred. "He disagreed with my methods."

"And your methods…"

"Sometimes the sacrifices that we make are worth it to achieve a better tomorrow," said Mordred. "These sacrifices may not be kind. They may bring pain among one generation. But the next generation? And the generation after that? Tell me. If you had children, would you not sacrifice yourself for them if it meant that they would live in a better world?"

"The point, Mordred. Get to it. Why are you telling me all of this when you could just convert me anyway?" Harry asked. They were standing in Dumbledore's Office, or rather what had once been Dumbledore's Office. Over the course of this exchange Harry had noticed that it had undergone a series of changes to the point where it no longer looked like Dumbledore's Office at all, as everything had changed. There were no paintings on the walls, no trophies or ornaments, just the golden chair at the heart of the room and the bookcase. Behind the golden chair, there was also, supported in mid-air, elevated above it so Harry could see it above Mordred's head was the Spear of Destiny, the artefact that had started this whole thing in the first place. Harry was half debating the chances of making a run for the Spear now, wondering if he could take Mordred by surprise.

"I know what you're thinking," Mordred said. "I know you're analysing possible ways to make it to the Spear before I can get to it. But tell me. Do you even know how to use it? To you, it would just be a weapon, a weapon that would amplify the curse. You have already touched it with your bare hands once. To touch it again… it would be suicide. But that is not the point. The point, as you are so keen to know, is simple. I cannot do this alone. I need an equal. Someone who can change the universe with me, the Spear itself is far too powerful for me to wield alone."

"Even for you?"

"I need somebody else. Somebody else who has wielded it before," said Mordred. "And I need them to wield it willingly. Think of it. Think of all _the power_ we could achieve, and you could have everything you ever wanted, just as much as I could. I can tell how badly you want to be the hero. To have the world understand what kind of saviour you truly are. You can be a God to them."

"No one person should have that much power," Harry said, even if he couldn't help be at least somewhat interested by the prospect that Mordred was offering him. A dark corner in his mind, somewhere, was whispering to him, _'Take it. Take it.'_

"Oh, plenty have. Arthur has at one point, too," said Mordred. "And I had the Spear once before, only for a _split second._ A split second was all it took to inflict me with the wonders and imagination. The unlimited potential. Think of all the people you save. Think of all those people burning in Prisoner of War Camps in the Americas, you can save them! Get them back home to their parents. You can have yours back too, they can love you again. The Boy Who Lived? You never have to grow up worrying about that. Voldemort doesn't have to exist at all."

"The offer is tempting. Tell me. What's the catch? What would I lose by joining with you? Freedom? My soul? You're not after just one thing. You want something else. You have to want something else."

"No catch," said Mordred. "No lies. You get total control. Only person you can't harm is myself."

"What if my visions of a future Earth clash with yours?"

"They won't," said Mordred. "You and I… our interests are aligned. They always have been, from the very beginning, Day One, Numero Uno. Forget Voldemort, forget The Fisher King, forget Arthur. They were nothing. Everything has always been about you and me. I can be the father to you that James Potter never was. With me, you will be accepted for what you truly are. Please, Harry. Please consider this. You have been kept in the dark for years, admittedly, a darkness of my own making, but that is beside the point. The point here is that we can change that. Together."

" _Wait,_ " Harry snapped to attention, picking up on something Mordred had just said. "What do you mean? A darkness of your own making?"

"Oh," Mordred said. "Your parents. I had to drive them away from you. So that you would grow up, become independent, become a vigilante. Push you to the brink so that you'd be fully trained by the time I got there. I may not have had my full influence, but the seed was planted when the Marauders – that's what they called themselves, wasn't it? First discovered my vault. I knew you were a Potter, and I knew what you would one day become. I just had to push you on that path."

"You turned them against me," said Harry, accusingly, stepping back. He knocked his brother back against the wall, instantly reacting, and leapt for his wand, pointing it at Mordred. "You're the reason I never had a normal childhood! Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to have to respectfully decline."

" _Respectfully decline,_ Harry, my boy, you don't know what you're missing out on! Together, we could be heroes."

"You keep saying that," said Harry. "But a hero isn't a title that you choose yourself. It's something that's given to you. I haven't earned that right yet. You never will."

"Well… so be it. I had hoped that you would see things my way," Mordred said. "But it looks like your mind has been too far tainted. I will have to convert you myself."

"I thought you said you needed me to willingly touch the spear."

"I lied. Samuel, grab him."

Sam had climbed to his feet and tried to wrestle Harry, knocking his wand out of his hand. However, Harry didn't need his wand to function and kicked Sam behind him, knocking him back across the office again just as he had climbed to his feet. Mordred fired a spell, from an unknown source, presumably with the use of wandless magic, and caught Harry, suspending him in the air. Mordred said as Harry struggled, "Harry, Harry, Harry. You really should have said yes. It would have been a lot easier."

Mordred hit Harry, over and over again, knocking him unconscious eventually as the boy was unable to resist. When Harry collapsed to the floor, the Dark Lord smiled. His work here was done. "Come, Samuel. It is time to prepare the ritual. Take your brother to the courtyard."

"Yes, My Lord."

 **III.**

The courtyard outside the entrance to Hogwarts was aligned with brainwashed students, in their dozens, and there was plenty more in the grass around, just in case any resistance from Harry came about. The brother of the Boy Who Lived was hauled forward, coming to, finding himself spitting out blood. He was pretty sure that he had lost some of his teeth in the beating that Mordred had delivered him, and now, he had the Spear in his left hand. "Tell me," Harry spat, coughing and wheezing through the blood at Mordred. He tried to move to reach Excalibur, but couldn't, struggling against the influence of the forcefield, or whatever it was that Mordred had him in. "What did you get by lying? Talking to me? You could have converted me to your side the second I walked in, had the Spear there and knocked me over. But you didn't."

"It was because I wanted to see what you would do," Mordred said. "When offered the opportunity to change the world with me. And you rejected it. _Rejected it_! The chance to take away the mistakes, the flaws, the emotions that humans have. To make them better. You have felt pain. Sorrow. The Spear can make that all go away. It's not too late. Now it's your turn, Harry. You tell me. Why do you resist?"

"Choice," Harry said. "I've felt pain. I've felt sorrow. I've lost things. But that's not the point. The point is that human life, human emotions, they're not yours to take! You'd have a brainwashed army of slaves, exactly the same as now, answering to your every move. Humanity wouldn't keep advancing. It would just _stop…_ stagnate completely. All that imagination, all those brilliant minds, gone in an instant. You robbed them of the one thing that makes them human, and once you resort to that… there really is no choice at all. Whatever your utopia is, I want no part of it."

"So be it," said Mordred.

"I just have one final question," Harry said, glancing up at Mordred, who prepared to force the Spear into Harry's hands. "Before you unmake reality, before you rob humanity of their free will, have you ever stopped to consider one simple thing, one simple thing that's wrong with your plan?"

"Oh, go on then. Enlighten me. What's wrong? What could I have possibly overlooked?"

"It was midday when we came in here," said Harry, glancing up at the weather in the sky above. Repeating what he had first said to Mordred, and what Mordred had repeated to him in turn, Harry said, "Now you tell me. Why is the sun setting?"

"Impossible," For the first time since meeting the man, Mordred's face betrayed an expression of shock and confusion. His plan, his perfect plan that he had put in place for centuries, had caused a small detail to be overlooked. He hadn't countered on one thing.

"Now, I'm no expert," said Harry. "But your brainwashing is enhanced when people are closer to the source, am I correct? It's why you were able to plant that doubt in my father, when he came so close to discovering you all those years ago. Why you were able to slowly brainwash all these people. And once more were converted, they were able to brainwash others too. Because of the barrier, am I right? The barrier that prevents muggles from seeing the castle, something that also acts as a natural shield of defence against invaders. You activated it. Used it. Turned it on so that rather than bouncing on the shield from the outside, the brainwashing waves would bounce on the shield from the inside, back down onto the castle, into the spots where you wanted them to, funnel them into a person who was willing to let them in. But what you overlooked, one tiny, small detail, is that you don't quite know Hogwarts as well as you think. And you know what the weather change means?"

"What?"

"It means it's time to cue the music," said Harry, with a smile, looking up into the orange sunset as something that he'd never expected to see descended on Hogwarts, a fleet of muggle helicopters looking like they had just come out of a war zone, Harry said, "Looks like someone's watched too much _Apocalypse Now,_ but I must say, I've never seen a more glorious sight."

"What are those things?"

"Muggle invention. Helicopters," said Harry, as the familiar tune of Black Sabbath's _Paranoid_ blared through the speakers of the helicopters, and he was smart enough to realise that most likely there was only one helicopter that was actually being manned, if at all, because most of them had been transfigured from other items using the core machine as a base model that Fletcher had stolen. Mordred instantly tried to blow one up to prove his point, but the helicopters just came coming. Harry couldn't resist adding an extra comment. "I did warn you. The twentieth century was in case you didn't notice, kind of a big deal."

"Enough. Time to end this," said Mordred, turning to look at Harry, only to find out that in the confusion, his focus on the spellwork had been distracted long enough for him to break free of the spell and had instantly went straight for Excalibur, as the students around him withered, their bodies battling with the brunt force of being subjected to the constant onslaught of music blasting across Hogwarts.

Mordred grasped the spear, controlling it in both his hands, the dual-wielded weapon making an immediate impression on Harry, and he started to think that with all the experience that Mordred had to offer, and the fact that he was dealing with the Spear again in close quarters, he was entirely out of his depth. But he had been out of his depth before, and that hadn't stopped him. Not once. It was now or never.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Harry said, and struck first with Excalibur, both hands on the weapon. Mordred easily brought it up to counter, moving his feet back and forth. Harry himself struggled to keep up with the movement, but he decided to treat it like he was on the dancefloor, moving his feet to the rhythm of the music, bringing his sword with him. Screams around from the students made sure that Black Sabbath was doing their work. Harry found himself pushed by Mordred back up the castle steps, and it wasn't long before he found himself fighting the Dark Lord through the Castle.

"You've learned a lot. I must compliment you," said Mordred. "But ultimately, it is all in vein. I have had years to practice, locked up in that stasis chamber. Nobody alive today has more experience than I do. You cannot possibly hope to match me."

"I don't know," said Harry, finding himself forced down the dungeons. He was forced to grip the sword with both hands preventing him from reaching his wand, but he was able to use the scenery to his advantage, preventing Mordred from advancing too quickly. "There have been greater upsets in the past."

"Listen to you. Greater upsets. What are you talking about? I know enough about you to know that you cannot possibly hope to win," Mordred said. "I have calculated every possible scenario, every possible outcome. I know what your next move is before you even make it."

"Then why let me free the students' minds?" Harry said.

"Because it won't matter when you touch the Spear. You were smart, to keep your hands gloved this time," said Mordred. "And lucky that the palm of the hand is the only thing that properly registers the Spear's touch. Otherwise, I could hit your face. But no. I need you alive."

"Where are you taking me?" Harry said, glancing at Mordred, noticing that once again he had controlled the momentum of the fight again, bringing the Spear forward as Harry countered with Excalibur. He was pushed down the corridor, past Argus Filch, who was screaming in pain as the brainwashing overtook him. "If you have a plan, then you aren't just pushing me in a random direction."

"You're smart, boy. I'll give you that," said Mordred, as they turned the corridor, Harry leaping back. "You will make a valuable ally in the New World. A pity you will not remember any of this to learn from these lessons that I am teaching you."

"I don't know about that," Harry said. "You've still got to beat me."

"And beat you I will," Mordred said. "I have just been toying with you. All this time. I wanted to see whether you would live up to my expectations as The Man in the Suit, the famous vigilante. And you have failed them completely."

Instantly, Mordred broke the back and forth nature of the duel by letting one hand go from the Spear. He used his spare hand to bring down a huge part of the ceiling above Harry on top of him, crushing him underneath the weight of the floor above, leaving a hole in the building. The force of the structure landing on top of him was enough to knock Harry out, unconscious for the second time today, leaving him with a concussion that would grip him when he awoke after a uncertain time had passed, to find himself tied up to a pillar where it had all begun, in the front of a door that had been previously sealed, but now betrayed what had been kept up, behind it all these years.

"Behold," said Mordred, a smile on his face, as Harry stared into the door in shock. "The Vault of Abaddon."

 **IV.**

Remus, Tonks, Mundungus, Viktor and Fleur raced over the Hogwarts grounds the second that the music, Harper's choice, had kicked into play. They led them down through the grounds where the students were withering in pain, the broadcast still affecting them. "How long do we need to keep it up?" said Fleur.

"It will take longer to convert more people," said Mundungus. "I would estimate, oh, until the end of the song."

"Good," said Lupin. "We still have time to find Harry, any idea on where he is?"

"No," Viktor said. "But I know where he might be heading."

Lupin nodded, understanding what Krum meant. "Good. Okay. Viktor, Mundungus, Fleur, you help the students, make sure that they're okay when the song ends. Tonks, you go and check on the Professors, they'll be somewhere in the Castle."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to save Harry," Lupin said, boldly.

"Good luck," Tonks said in his direction, nodding. "May we meet again."

"May we meet again," echoed Lupin, and left, leaving Tonks, Fletcher, Krum and Fleur in the courtyard, taking off at a brisk pace towards the dark quarters of the Chamber that had kept Mordred hidden for all of these years. The chamber that he remembered almost visiting, the chamber that he had remembered being so scared of he made a vow with the Marauders never to return. But he got the feeling that this was where everything had changed for Harry, that Mordred had influenced James' thoughts from even this early moment long before Harry's birth, a seeping doubt lurking in the back of his mind. It all made perfect sense in hindsight, and would serve as the only logical explanation for why someone as caring and friendly as James Potter would be so harsh to one of his own sons, especially heralding from a protective family. He hoped that for Harry's sake, he would not be too late.

Following the destruction and wreckage that had been caused by the fight between Harry and Mordred, Lupin made his way towards the dungeons, climbing over the collapsed wreckage, and spotted Harry's wand cast aside below. ' _Let's hope that doesn't mean what I think it means,_ ' Lupin thought, advancing through the corridors. He proceeded down towards the same vantage point that Harry had previously held when investigating the brainwashed students the first time, and could see the open door, where Mordred was leading Harry to. Thankfully, King Arthur's nemesis had not him just yet, giving Lupin the element of surprise.

 **V.**

"The Vault of Abaddon? Is that supposed to mean something?" Harry couldn't help but ask, as he gazed into a bottomless pit, which dominated the room. Around the pit there were four broken knights, with their swords having previously been pointed inwards. They had all come crashing down, one by one, when Mordred had broken free.

"It is the title for the place where I was locked up all these years," said Mordred. "It almost feels strange to return and not be a prisoner. And knowing that I will leave, not being a prisoner. But all things must come to an end, and this is far, far overdue."

"Stop," Harry said, trying to free himself. "Let me go! At least give me a chance…"

"You had your chance," Mordred said, turning around behind him. "Now we must do what is necessary."

Harry glanced behind him briefly, spotting the two goblets that remained in front of where the door to Abaddon's Vault used to be, and then back at the knights. The goblets themselves, at least on the back, had engravings of Arthur Pendragon himself, on one, and Merlin on the other. He looked back at Mordred and connected the dots. "Wait. Those four statues you destroyed when you broke free, am I correct? From what I gather, they're meant to be Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor. The people that defeated you."

"That would be correct. They are my enemies, and every idol to them will be destroyed. I will erase their memories from existence altogether," said Mordred. "It seems only fitting, since you were going to do the same to me."

"Then why not the goblets too? They signify Arthur and Merlin, who by all accounts, should be your enemies," said Harry. "So why aren't they destroyed too… you just admitted you destroyed those four. Why are these two any different?"

Mordred raised an eyebrow. "I have simply not had the time to destroy them yet. And they are of no matter, no relevance whatsoever."

"I don't think so," said Harry. "Here's what I think. You need it for something. It would be a real shame if they were destroyed, weren't they?"

He spoke the last few words at a higher pitch than the others, almost shouting, so they echoed back through the chamber room. Mordred sighed. "Oh, you poor boy. You think that will make a difference. You think that there is someone who is actually there to help you."

"Actually, I beg to differ. I don't think there's someone there to help me," said Harry. "I _know_ there is someone there to help me. Classic spy movie tactic, Mordred. Keeping the villain talking long enough so I can formulate a plan to escape and maybe get some information in the process. I mean, I don't know what I was expecting when I was going to meet you, but I expected someone far more terrifying, not a third grade Bond movie villain. Maybe someone from Thunderball? You do kind of look a bit like a thinner version of Emilio Largo, have you ever considered wearing an eyepatch?"

As if on cue, Lupin leapt forward, casting a spell that instantly shattered both of the goblets. For the first time since meeting him, Harry saw that Mordred displayed real shock and horror, caught by surprise. Instantly, acting out of anger, the Dark Lord channelled all his power at Lupin, who desperately scrambled for safety, but to Harry's horror, was caught in the blast. "No!" Harry yelled, as he tried to spot any sign of Lupin's survival in the smoke that had been a result of Mordred's bombardment, and the cocky demeanour that had been on Harry's face moments before had been replaced by anguish as he dropped to the floor, grabbed Excalibur from his nearby bag, freed from the suspended animation and lashed forward at Mordred, who brought the Spear up to counter him again. "You bastard!"

"I could say the same thing about you," Mordred said, glancing worriedly, with fear, down to the bottomless pit below. "There was a reason why I wanted to escape that prison, boy, and you've just let it out! It's all your fault."

Harry glanced down into the pit. It was almost as if an invisible wall had been shattered by the breaking of the two goblets, and the darkness below was slowly becoming more colourful, betraying a dark red atmospheric structure that informed him of one thing. "There's something in there…"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, boy! I hope you fancied dealing with me because what's about to come out of that vault is ten times worse," said Mordred, glancing up at the shadowy figure that had emerged from the vault, and there were no other words to describe it but a demon. A towering inferno of a creature that stood taller than two double decker buses in height stretched out, creating an intimidating presence that Harry was quite sure he would never forget the sight of again, even if he lived to be two hundred years old. Reduced to fear, instantly becoming a far cry from his former self before the goblets had been broken, Mordred added, "Abaddon…"

" _Mordred_ ," said the demon, its booming, inhuman voice resonating around the room. " _For too long, you have cheated death. It comes for you_."

Mordred spun the Spear of Destiny around, trying to strike the demon with all his might, but was easily swatted aside as though the most powerful weapon in human history did not matter at all. To see someone like Mordred beaten so easily was worrying for Harry, whatever this monster was, he knew one thing was clear, he never wanted to see it again as long as he lived. It looked like something that struck fear into his darkest nightmares, and the cold chill of the air around the Vault caused him to shiver. The Spear bounced off the Demon, falling to Harry's feet, where he scrambled to pick it up in his gloved hands, backing away. The Demon itself took one look at Harry, as they met eye-contact, and eventually, the demon relented, reclaiming what it had come for.

Once the Demon had returned to the bottomless pit, the entrance swallowed up behind Harry, leaving nothing but concrete. There were no words from the demon, no warning to Harry about not to do what Mordred had done, it had just come to take him from this world. Never to return.

Instantly, Harry was on his feet again and rushed towards Lupin's body. Tonks and Fletcher sprinted into the room afterwards, arriving with a few of the teachers who had recovered from the brainwashing, to find Harry weeping at the body of his former professor. The death took Tonks, Fletcher, and everyone in the room by surprise who had been brainwashed, they were still adjusting to their newfound freedom, and the fact that something had happened that they had no memory of, but all were brought together in mourning, realising what Lupin had done.

Harry did not know how long he remained by the body of his mentor, it felt like hours, but eventually, he was led away by Tonks. Words fell from Tonks' lips as they left the room. "He died saving the world," said Tonks. "History will remember him by that."

Tonks led Harry out into the courtyard, where the students were scrambling to their feet. They were recovering from the confused aftermath, helping each other, regardless of whether or not they were first year Gryffindors or seventh year Slytherins, and all of them nodded at Harry and Tonks as they made their way down the courtyard, as a gratitude of thanks, recognising what they had done. The weather had been reset to normal, with the midday sun filtering through the air, filling the courtyard with warmth. "It's over," Harry said, collapsing on the steps out of exhaustion from the fight, wiping the grit and blood from his face. "We won."

 _ **To Be Continued…**_

And Mordred is dead. But the story's not quite yet. We have four more chapters to go to take the story up to finishing on a nice round number of 40, and of course, there's always Voldemort to consider and whatever's running about in Harry's head left to deal with. Next chapter will address the aftereffects of the battle, the funeral, as we see where things go next. I did originally plan on putting the aftermath in this chapter but decided against it, so there's that. Anyway, be warned - Mordred is just the beginning.

Lupin went out like a hero. I needed someone to die – you can't take on someone like Mordred without there being at least one casualty, and I chose him. But the flashforward that happened a few chapters ago may be a spoiler that I'm not quite done with him yet – although, whether any of that actually happened at all is open to interpretation. The idea of having music play such a big role in things was always something that was going to happen, and the idea of changing the weather around the castle came from the Great Hall being able to change the weather. There's a magical barrier around the castle - why not play with it?

Oh, and if you're wondering why Harry didn't last long in combat against Mordred, this is _Mordred,_ we're talking about. He has years of training and experience on Harry. He was able to use that to his advantage however and distract the enemy, using his surroundings against him, just like Arthur had taught him.

The Demon, Abaddon, may have come a bit out of left field but I wanted something that even Mordred was afraid of to play a role here. Someone cheating death that long even when imprisoned is something that will obviously earn the attention of Death when unleashed, and they're going to act on it. So I figured that sending someone like Abaddon to claim Mordred would have been the best possible way to go about it. And if you've noticed the amount of influences that this fic has from multiple sources, I thought it'd be a fun homage to the Bond series by having Harry stall Mordred by talking to him and making him explain his evil plan. Because why not?

Fanfic Recommendation of the Chapter: _Murder Most Horrid,_ a completed fanfic featuring Bellatrix Lestrange and Hermione Granger. It's really well done, features a very interesting matchup of two characters who aren't normally paired together.

Film Recommendation of the Chapter: I watched it today so I'm going to throw out Andrei Tarkovsky's fantastic _Stalker._ Brilliant, and the Criterion release is absolutely superb. It may well have some of the best cinematography and direction in any film out there. 100% worth hunting down if you get the chance.

Remember, if you could check out my profile and let me know which of the three stories sounds the more intriguing to you I'd greatly appreciate it! I'm looking to start a new fic soon after finishing this one and am always open to thoughts on the stuff I've planned so far.


	36. Blue Monday

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter 36: Blue Monday**

 **I.**

The rest of the day was generally one of mourning and reunions. Even though only one person had died, apart from Mordred, everything felt hollow. The world had been saved, and true, those who did not know Lupin that well, were on the more optimistic side, with inter-house parties arranged across the school, the common rooms, even Slytherin, opened their doors for anyone, even members from the other schools. Harry chose to spend the afternoon with his family, who were in James and Lily's quarters. "We understand if you do not want to come back into the family and live with us," said James. "Given all that we have done to you. Even if these were the intentions of a malicious madman. But I think it is past time that we let these petty differences put us aside when we should be more united than ever."

"You're right," Harry said, nodding across at James. "I… think I'm ready to come back home. It's been a long year."

"What about Professor Lupin's home?" Sam asked. "He gifted it to you, didn't he?"

"He did," said Harry. "But I've decided that I don't want it. It's a Mansion. Too big for any one person. No. I'm going to put it to better use."

"Do you have any plans in mind?"

"The housing and the caring of those inflicted with Lycanthropy," said Harry. "Particularly the younger generation. Anyone from a disadvantaged family or an orphanage who has been bitten by a werewolf will have a place to grow, in the building, together with others of their kind away from the prejudices of society. It will be a safe haven for them."

Sirius looked up from where he was sat, no longer dejected. "That's an excellent choice, Harry. Remus would have been proud."

"He left everything to you in his will. He inherited a sizeable portion from his ancestors. But he did not do anything with it. It's up to you," informed Tonks, who had stayed with him all the way through the day.

"Then that will be donated to. To finding a more sustainable cure for lycanthropy and those infects," said Harry. "And to finding homes for those werewolves who have grown up on the streets, alone and afraid."

Severus Snape appeared at the door, suddenly, interrupting the conversation. No insults were offered by James or Sirius. They knew the experience that Snape had gone through was just as humiliating and as degrading as themselves. Snape looked over at both of them, nodding courtly. "The funeral. It's happening shortly. Your presence is required."

"Any word on the Triwizard Tournament, Severus? Is that still taking place?" Lily asked Snape as the group climbed to their feet, making their way away from where they were sat. "I would hope that given the circumstances it were to be postponed…"

"There is currently a vote taking place in Dumbledore's Office between the Heads of Schools and several key Ministry officials regarding the continuation of the task. I had to leave to oversee preparations for the funeral per the Headmaster's request," said Snape, "But it looks like there is currently a tied vote. Dumbledore and Karkaroff voted to postpone the task. But Madame Maxime and Minister Crouch have put forward the motions in favour. Crouch cannot be seen to throw the tournament, especially after all the generated interest in the build-up to the event so he is merely trying to save face, but Maxime's vote is something of a surprise."

"I thought Karkaroff would have wanted to continue."

"He has recently found out about the destruction of his own school," said Snape. "And there was something else, another matter… but none of your concern. He wants to go home and rebuild Durmstrang. Maxime has also been made aware of the destruction of her school but she for whatever reason, wants to continue."

"And we're not getting a say in this?" Samuel asked. "It's our magic on the line."

"They know this. They think there might be a workaround," said Snape. "As long as the Triwizard Tournament isn't officially declared over, the rules of the goblet remain in play. Therefore, you could potentially be fine. But there are certain risks that come with that approach."

"How many more votes are left?" James cut across Snape, irritating the man slightly, but he didn't feel fit to mention anything just now.

"Three," said Snape. "Minerva McGonagall, Ludo Bagman and Alastor Moody. McGonagall is likely to vote no. Bagman, because of his gambling debts, will no doubt vote yes. But Moody? I couldn't say."

"Well, let's hope Moody votes no," said James, as they approached the open-ended hallway which lead out onto the balcony, giving them a clear view of the funeral which was being held down below. Several students were lining up alongside the coffin, one by one.

"I believe The Professor wanted a private funeral," said Snape. "To be held in the tradition of the Marauders. But when the students found out what he had done for them. They wanted to say goodbye."

"Huh," said Sirius, noticing papers in their hands. "What's on the papers?"

"Letters. Notes," said Snape. "They will be placed in the coffin when it is buried. Mostly people thanking Lupin for his sacrifice, freeing them from the brainwashing. I will admit… I have never met a more courageous werewolf in my entire life. If you tell anyone else I said that, however, I will have to make sure that excruciating pain is unleashed upon every single one of you. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor," Harry couldn't help but be the first one to speak. "So… Dad, Marauder funeral? What did you have in mind?"

"Fireworks," said James. "Mostly small-scale. We'd then push him on a boat into the lake, set fire to the boat. Like a Viking funeral, your mother said. Isn't that right, Lily?"

"Yes. Like a Viking funeral."

"I think that can still be arranged," Harry said, and James' eyes lit up.

"How?"

"Let's just say I have some contacts…" Harry said, referring to Mundungus Fletcher, who had conveniently excused himself from Hogwarts, not wanting to stick around. Fletcher had been released from Harry's services now that Mordred was defeated, and he saw no further need to keep the man on his payroll. As far as Harry was concerned, Fletcher's debt had been paid. But he had asked the man for one last favour, before he departed.

 **II.**

It was well into the night by the time they were allowed to give Professor Lupin a send-off into the lake. His coffin was lighted, with Harry, James and Sirius putting torches to the boat. It burst into flames as it hit the water, and as if on cue, Harry noticed the skies erupt into fireworks, full of multiple colours, on a scale unlike any of the Marauders could have planned. "Is that what you had in mind?" Harry asked James, as the sky erupted.

"Something not quite as dramatic as that," James said. "But it is what he deserves."

"To Remus Lupin," said Sirius, taking a drink of some butterbeer that he had collected from the kitchens on their way down. He had passed the glasses out across to the adults and Harry, and he continued his announcement. "He always was the best of us."

"You're right," James said. "The bravest, too."

"He was like a father to me," Harry said, fully aware that James was right there in the room. "I'll miss him."

"What will you do now? After the tournament, I mean," James couldn't help but say as he approached Harry. "If it goes ahead."

"Well I still have a year of schooling left," said Harry.

"I mean… with your other hobby," said James, keeping his voice low. "We know it was you who is The Man in the Suit. Under normal circumstances I'd bring you in. But. Given that you've just saved the entire world... I think circumstances can be arranged."

"I don't know. There's still the Death Eaters out there," said Harry. "But I kind of need a new man in the chair…"

"How about a woman?" said James, not getting the reference, but he was smart enough to know what he meant. "I mean. You could in an unofficial capacity, work for or at least help The Auror office. Not directly answer to the Ministry, I understand – we both know there are far too many Death Eater sympathisers in its ranks for it to be safe, but… maybe something could be arranged."

"I'd like that," said Harry. "And this woman… It wouldn't happen to be Tonks, would it?"

"That would be correct," James said. "You would contact Tonks, discreetly. We would feed you information and you'd feed us information. Work together. Of course, the official status would be that you're a wanted fugitive. But unofficially? Let's just say whenever you're sighted at a crime scene we'll wait before coming in. Would five minutes be enough time?"

"It would."

"I ask one thing though. That you prevent Harper or Sam from being involved. I don't want them to come to any harm."

"I don't think you or I will be able to stop them if they want to be involved," said Harry. "If they're anything like you or I, they'll rush towards the first sign of danger."

"You're right. I think them not getting involved is inevitable at this point, sadly. Just. Keep them out of trouble if they do," said James. He turned around to see that Snape had returned from Dumbledore's Office. Harry tried to work out through his expression whether it was good news or bad news, but the fact that Snape was always calm and emotionless gave him no promises. James followed Snape's gaze and asked, "How did they vote?"

"McGonagall voted against, as predicted," Snape said. "But both Bagman and Moody voted in favour. The last task will go ahead as planned."

"Wait. So, it was decided by one vote?"

"Yes."

"Moody would never vote against Dumbledore's wishes," said James. "Are you sure he voted no?"

"I am positive," said Snape. "And you are right. Something must be wrong with Moody. You know as well as anyone that when he operated in the Ministry he was a loose cannon. But that man owes more to Dumbledore than most. He wouldn't vote against him. As much as I am at loathe to agree with you, you are right."

"We'll bring it up with Dumbledore after the task," said James. "There's little we can do now, I'd imagine the maze is already being constructed as we speak."

"The last task's a maze?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow at James as Snape grimaced at James' carelessness.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter now," said James. "Most likely Krum and Delacour will already have been informed. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I can. But I don't really plan on winning. There's not much point," said Harry. "It kind of doesn't really feel fair on everyone else, especially Sam."

"You're right," said James. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, we have to at least complete the task," said Harry. "So… that's what I'm going to do. Complete the task."

 **III.**

The following morning, Samuel Potter awoke in his bedroom, alone, and slightly later than everyone else who had already left to go downstairs. He yawned, panicking at the prospect of facing the final task in the Triwizard Tournament without little training. He'd heard that Harry wasn't planning on taking it seriously but then that didn't mean that Fleur or Viktor wouldn't either, and realised that he had to at least after everything, put in a good effort.

There was just one problem. He wasn't sure what The Maze would throw at him. He couldn't prepare for countless of creatures in a few hours, and he needed something that was essentially a catch-all situation. Something that worked on just about anything regardless of what it was. Coming to a simple solution that it would be easier to fly above the Maze rather than walk through it, He scrambled for his case that normally contained his Firebolt, and opened it, and to his horror, realised what was there before his eyes, glistening brightly, as though it was brand new, with any blood that had been on it having vanished. Sam was looking at the Spear of Destiny. "Oh Merlin's Beard," he said aloud, instantly shutting the chest. _'How the hell did that get that there? Think, Sam, Think. What's the last thing you remember?'_

"Hey!" A voice called from behind Sam and he spun around to see Harper, wearing a hoodie and jeans, had appeared at the door, fully dressed. Sam himself was still in his pyjamas, clearly disorganized and not ready. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead. Big day today, want to head down to the library and do some last-minute practising?"

"Um, Harper… I think we have a problem," said Sam.

"What's that?"

Sam opened the chest, showing Harper the Spear of Destiny. "It was just _there._ I don't know how it got there and I don't even know if it's the real one."

"Have you touched it?" Harper said, glancing across at him.

"Not yet," said Sam, "I remember Dad saying something when I was on guard duty back at the Ministry before this year started. It's cursed."

"Damn right. According to rumours it drove Grindelwald so mad he took his own life because of it," said Harper. "I'd wear gloves, at least. Do you have any?"

"Um, my Quidditch ones," said Sam.

"Well, wear them. And you totally should report it to Dumbledore as soon as possible, right? It's the correct thing to do," said Harper.

"The correct thing, yeah," said Sam, nodding, not entirely convinced. "I'll do that."

 **IV.**

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final task of the Triwizard Tournament!" announced Ludo Bagman. "However, as you all know – given recent events, the tournament has not been allowed to proceed under ideal circumstances, and this final round has become nothing more than a formality. But regardless, I would appreciate it if you could help cheer on our four champions, one more time."

A loud, but half-hearted cheer filled the crowd. Harry was standing at the entrance of the maze with Sam, Fleur and Viktor. Sam, Harry noticed, was the only one wearing his Quidditch gloves and wondered just what he had planned. He was also the only one who he hadn't had the chance to speak to regarding what the three of them, Harry, Fleur and Viktor intended to do for the tournament. He'd been meaning to, but other things had come up in the way, and it was far too late. Sam saw Harry staring and they shared a nod of reassurance. "Again, recent circumstances have meant that the champions have not had as much time to prepare for the occasion as they would have wished, meaning that as a result there will be no time advantage for the leading champion. Everyone will enter the maze at the exact same time."

"And of course, you have one goal…" Bagman droned on but Harry wasn't really paying attention at all. He was now focused on caring on the task ahead. Behind him, he could see his family in the background, seated with Tonks and Sirius. They had turned up to the main event because of course, but still, the loss of Lupin had hit them hard. It had hit everyone hard. Harry was brought back into focus from Bagman, who was now on another part of his speech, "Before we begin however, at the request of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, we will now enter a minute's silence to remember Remus Lupin. Remember…"

 _Harry was bleeding heavily. He ran through the night, alone and afraid. Fifteen years old. His first attempted vigilante business had just backfired dramatically, and now he was wounded badly, bleeding from multiple parts of his body. "Spread out!" a cry from behind him, from one of the Death Eaters, signalled that they weren't far behind. "He can't be far! Search the village!"_

 _He stumbled through the back yards, climbing through garden fences, but it wasn't long before he realised that without medical attention he would not make it through the night. As much as he was at loathe to admit it he needed help and needed it soon. Luckily, there seemed to be a light on, in the house upon the hill – and he was smart enough to work out that from all the telltale signs, that house belonged to a wizard. Forcing his way towards the remote area, he was able to take down one Death Eater by luck, having landed on him as he climbed over the wall, the man acting as a cushion to prevent his fall. Scrambling over one last fence he kept the floor as he crawled his way up the hill, using the dark to mask his cover. There wasn't much more he could do apart from pray a Death Eater didn't look up._

 _Eventually, he made it to the top and climbed into the open window into the basement below. The moon was only a half moon, he noticed, just before he climbed in, it wasn't a full one, therefore he didn't have to worry about the Death Eaters using werewolves as blunt instruments to knock down the door. He crashed down on a pile of books, sending them falling to the floor. The room itself was relatively seedy, dark and unkempt. In the corner, there was a singular cage, used probably to house a dog or something like that, but it took up much of the room. Harry winced in pain, as he heard a light flicker on above him. 'Here goes nothing…' he thought, doing his best to scramble up his face and hope he wasn't recognised. It was to no avail._

" _Now tell me," said Remus Lupin, after turning on the light switch. "Why on Earth are you in my basement, Harry Potter?"_

 _"I can explain," Harry stuttered. He coughed violently after this and Lupin for the first time recognised that he was bleeding badly. "I…"_

The minute's silence had ended, and without further ado, the cannon was fired into the sky, unleashing the four students into the maze. Harry and Fleur took off towards the left whilst Viktor and Sam made their way to the right, and it wasn't long before they were alone. "Point me," Fleur said, and allowed the wand to direct her to the centre of the maze. "Let's go. The sooner this is done, the better."

"I thought you wanted this to continue…"

"My Headmistress wanted this to continue, and I don't like the idea of becoming the first half-Veela to lose my magic," said Fleur. Harry noticed that she was, like she had always been, wearing her gloves. "I can't imagine what I would do without it. I've grown up with it for so long. I don't have any muggle qualifications. Plus can you imagine, the shame it would bring to my family? Not that I would care about my own name being disgraced, but I do not want my sister to endure several years of bullying and torment. So, I do this task for them. What about you, Harry? Why are you doing it?"

"Because…" Harry didn't know. He eventually decided on an honest answer. "It's a distraction. The longer I am in this maze, I don't have to face the reality of the future. It's uncertain. I don't know what I'll do next. I have one more year of Hogwarts left after this, and then… Honestly, I have no idea."

"Hold up," said Fleur, sensing something around the corner, hearing noise just before she rounded the corner. "Looks like there's a Sphinx up ahead."

"Sphinx? Aren't they the ones that ask riddles?"

"Yes. And if you fail you get eaten alive…" she commented. "So, we'd best be cautious."

"Here goes nothing…" said Harry, turning the corner, and joined Fleur in coming face to face with the Sphinx.

"Good afternoon," the Sphinx said. "I have been informed of the recent circumstances that perhaps mean you are not as prepared for this task as you would be otherwise, therefore I have been advised to make the task easier on you. But in order to pass you must still be tested… and therefore, I have a riddle for you. You get three guesses, and if you fail the third guess, I presume you know what happens next. Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Quick question, is it one riddle each, or one for both of us?"

"Normally it would be one riddle each but due to extraordinary circumstances," the Sphinx said. "It will be one for the both of you. _What has roots as nobody sees,  
Is taller than trees, Up, up it goes, And yet never grows?_"

Fleur paused at this comment, turning to Harry. "Roots that nobody sees? What does that mean?"

"Oh, you genius," Harry said with a smile, glancing at the Sphinx. "I know that riddle."

"Where from?"

" _The Hobbit,_ " Harry said. "At least. I'm ninety per cent sure. The answer would be mountains, correct?"

"That would be correct. May I ask, what is this Hobbit you refer to?" The Sphinx asked.

"Famous work of muggle literature," said Harry. "Although I can't remember who said it… it was either Bilbo or Gollum."

"I will have to work on finding some new material in the future," The Sphinx said with a smile. "But I did warn you it would not be too difficult. Also, on behalf of the magical community… I would like to thank you for defeating Mordred. He is an evil that has plagued this world for too long. And as I am aware I am wasting your precious time, I wish you good luck on your future endeavours. May we meet again."

"May we meet again," Harry bowed respectfully as The Sphinx allowed Harry and Fleur past. The two continued their way through The Maze, encountering various obstacles on their way and wondering how the others were getting on. Harry was sure he saw somebody tailing them – but they quickly lost their tale after doubling back. Eventually they made it to the front of the maze, only to find Krum waiting for them by the centre, exhausted and out of breath. "Viktor? Where's Sam?"

"He was here a few seconds before me," Viktor said. "I was delayed, someone cast a tripping jinx on me from behind. I thought it might have been one of you two but I realised you were both elsewhere. By the time I caught up… he had gone."

"Okay, that's not good," said Harry. "I assume the trophy is something you just have to pick up, right? And then cast spells in the air?"

"That would be correct," said Viktor. "But it appears it must have been some sort of portkey. To transport him to another location. Maybe part of the task?"

"Unlikely. Did you work out who tried to trip you up?" Harry said, and Viktor shook his head. "I thought we were being followed by someone… he or she must have been trying to make sure that Sam was the first one to reach the Goblet."

"So much for an easy final task…" Fleur said. "But why?"

"That's what we have to find out," said Harry. "Now… there should be a way to trace wherever he's gone. Should we alert Dumbledore?"

"No time," insisted Krum. "We'd have to get out of The Maze without apparating, and by that time whoever has him could have killed him. Do you have a lock on his co-ordinates?"

"I do," said Harry, after waving about with his wand. "But we've got to break the anti-apparition wards."

"That should be easy," said Fleur. "Cover your ears."

Harry nodded, and followed her instructions realising what she was about to do. Viktor did the same, and Fleur unleashed her cry, for the second time that Harry had witnessed it since the Observatory and Roger Davis. There was the sound of something invisible shattering, and then. "I've temporarily disabled the anti-apparition ward," said Fleur. "But only around our area. There is one in place in the rest of Hogwarts so we cannot apparate anywhere in the grounds. We have to leave it."

"Alright," Harry said. "Let's go."

Viktor was wincing at the deafening sound, glancing at Harry. "Did you know that she could do this?"

Harry nodded.

"Remind me never to get on her bad side," Viktor said.

"Okay," said Fleur, and then to Harry; "Where do we want to go?"

"Some place called Little Hangleton," said Harry. "The Riddle House."

And then without further ado, they vanished from view, leaving the confines of the maze behind.

 _ **To Be Continued…**_

And there we have the pieces in place for the encounter with Voldemort that will take place in the next chapter and be the second and final big 'boss fight' if you will. The Fake Moody is still around – it's no coincidence that he was the deciding vote on whether or not the Tournament would go ahead this year – but it's something that people are starting to realise about him. And as to whether Sam kept the Spear or not, you'll find out next Chapter. Even if you aren't touching it, it can still be mighty persuasive…

The next chapter will also feature a relation of a character who we (briefly) met earlier in the fic to tie up that thread, so I'm taking guesses as to who it's going to be now. I've also tried to address as many plotlines from _Goblet of Fire_ as possible, rushing over them however briefly. There is the whole incident with Crouch of course that I've left out, but my reasoning for that is given that he was under the influence of Mordred all this time Crouch Jr. would not have been able to do what would have been done had he been operating as his own free will. So that's why Crouch Sr. is still alive.

Fanfic Recommendation of the Chapter: LeadVonE's fantastic _Dodging Prison and Stealing Witches – Revenge is Best Served Raw._ It's a Wrong Boy Who Lived Fic that's lots of fun.

Film Recommendation of the Chapter: _His Girl Friday._ It's a classic American screwball comedy that has some excellent dialogue and holds up really well. Get the Criterion Release if you can. One of my favourite movies of all time.

The song title for this chapter is New Order's _Blue Monday._


	37. Seven Nation Army

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Thirty Seven: Seven Nation Army**

I would just like to offer a quick disclaimer saying that if there is any military terminology used incorrectly here are entirely my fault due to a lack of knowledge of the subject.

 **I.**

"At ease men," a leading military official, well-dressed, with several honours to his name, a veteran of multiple conflicts, made his way into the barracks of the various soldiers around the room. "My name is General Chadwick Barnes. A few of you may already know who I am."

"Yessir," several men answered Barnes. There was around twenty in the room, all currently on their downtime.

"Now I have been told you are Janus Five. Aka the best damn taskforce in the entire British Army. Am I correct?"

"Yessir," the chorus was louder this time.

"Well then it looks like I've come to the right place, Janus Five. Who's your Sergeant?"

"That would be me, Sir."

"What's your name, Sergeant?"

"Davis, Sir. Theo Davis," Davis said, adjusting his hat. The man was around twenty three, a few years older than his younger half-sister who was currently at university. He had instantly risen to the top of the ranks, having shown talent and promise in training, and it didn't take him long to join Janus Five. "Reporting for duty, Sir."

"Are your men ready for a combat operation, Sergeant?"

"With all due respect, sir, we just returned from deployment, Sir," said Davis. "Some of these men have families they'd like to visit."

"Well they'll have to tell their families to wait then, won't they?"

"Yessir. Where are we headed?"

"You don't have to worry about going overseas, Sergeant. It's an internal op. Somewhere in the country. Remote area."

"Sir?"

"That sounds a lot like a question, Sergeant."

"No Sir."

"That's better. Gather your men, we roll out at nineteen hundred. Choppers'll take us there and get us out, briefing will follow shortly. You have two primary targets, three secondary ones. This is a weapons hot mission. Understood?"

"Sir, I'm going to need more details than that."

"They'll come at the briefing, Davis," said Barnes. "One more job. The most I can give you is the call-sign that you'll be running this op on."

"What's that, Sir?"

"Operation Magic."

"Magic, Sir?" Davis asked, remembering the dreams that his half-sister told him about. The dreams about the boy with the black hair and the mansion on the hill.

"That's right, Davis. Magic."

 **II.**

The first thing that Harry noticed when he arrived in the graveyard, in the dead of night, with Viktor and Fleur in tow, was the distinct lack of stars. "Something's wrong," said Fleur, almost immediately. "There should be stars."

"I was beginning to notice that as well… do you reckon it's a spell?"

"A spell that could make the stars go away?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't like it. No, there's something else at work here."

"There were no stars last night at Hogwarts, either," Krum pointed out.

"I didn't notice…" said Harry. "Do you think it's whatever controlling Hogwarts' weather malfunctioning?"

"No, we put that back to normal afterwards," said Fleur, glancing up across at the Riddle house. "Look. There's a group of people in cloaks up there…"

"Death Eaters," said Harry with a scowl. "They must have answered the call…"

"Which means…" Viktor said.

"Voldemort," Harry said. "Of course. _Of course_ , it was Voldemort who wanted my brother. He probably put his name in the cup, too. Somehow. Using somebody…"

"Moody," Fleur said. "I noticed he always had to take a swig from his flask. Now he does that anyway… but that would be the perfect cover for polyjuice."

"It was probably Moody that was following us before we lost him. And I bet he tripped Viktor as well," said Harry. "And he was the one who voted against Dumbledore, remember? I knew something was up. But if he's not Moody… then who is he?"

 **III.**

"Barty Crouch Junior, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the face of the son of Barty Crouch Sr. looked up at James Potter and Severus Snape, having just transformed back from his guise that he had been living in all year. "At last we meet properly. James Potter. The Father of the Boy Who Lived! It is an honour to meet someone whose son defeated The Dark Lord, I must say…"

"Shut up," said James. "We spotted you in the maze and we noticed that we haven't heard from my son. Where is he?"

"Oh, I believe you'll be waiting for that answer for a long time to come," said Crouch Jr, laughing. "Tell me, why is father not here? He would have loved to see this."

"Barty Crouch Sr is currently in the hospital wing, having collapsed during the tournament," said Snape, pressing his wand against Crouch Jr. "Now you will tell us. Where is Potter?"

"He's right there," said Crouch Junior, laughing as he looked up at the father, knowing full well what Snape meant. "You're going to have to be more specific, Sevvie."

"Shut up," said Snape, striking Crouch Jr. with the back of his hand. "Polyjuice is the weapon of a coward."

"Says the man who has defected to join Dumbledore," said Barty Crouch Jr. "You are the biggest coward of all of us, Sevvie. No. You have me all wrong. I am not a coward. I am in fact, The Dark Lord's most loyal servant."

"How do you figure?" James asked.

"I was the one who brought Potter to him. Delivered to him. I am the reason that by the time this conversation has finished," he said, an evil, crooked smile on his face. "The Dark Lord will have risen, and Samuel Potter will be dead. You will never, ever find out his whereabouts from me."

Before James and Severus could question him further, Crouch Jr. withered, having bitten on something. It wasn't long before he was foaming at the mouth and erupted into a seizure. "No, no, no, no!" James exclaimed anxiously, shaking the body of Crouch Jr. "No! You bastard!"

"Let it go, Potter," Severus said. "He's dead. Suicide. I suppose he knew there was only one place he was ever going to end up and would rather die than return there."

"Harry's still in the maze," realised James. "If we can get a message to him…"

"Harry will have most likely have gone after Samuel by now," said Severus, "He is smart enough to find a way. Relax, Potter. From my personal experience, he is considerably well equipped to handle any situation. I would not worry."

"You know he is The Man in the Suit?"

"I didn't need to know that to praise him," Severus said. "But I have known since the beginning. It is with begrudging acceptance that I praise him, but Harry has proved to me that he is far more than _just_ a Potter. And you will have to live your whole life knowing that you could have been there for him. But you weren't."

"I was cursed…." James said, even though he knew that there was no use arguing.

"You have earned a second chance, Potter. Here's a tip from an expert in second chances," Severus said, turning away to alert Dumbledore as to the present situation. "Don't waste it."

 **IV.**

Keeping their heads low, Harry, Fleur and Viktor advanced through the tombstones. Harry pushed through, edging closer, leading the way. The Death Eaters were too busy surrounding an empty circle around a statue, where his brother was held up, alone and Harry took great care to notice that it was Peter Pettigrew, who had somehow escaped from Azkaban under the nose of everyone, with their attention focused on Hogwarts and the Triwizard Tournament, but it was the figure next to him that held Harry's interest even more. It was one of the most pale men he had ever seen his life, and although he did not look quite as intimidating as Mordred, on a scale of 1-Mordred, Harry considered that he was probably about a 7. The brother of the Boy Who Lived nodded at Fleur and Viktor, gesturing for them to wait when they were close enough to earshot.

"Ah, my loyal Death Eaters," Voldemort was saying. "I am very pleased to make your acquaintance once more. I notice that there are a few among our number who are not with us tonight, but their absences can be explained. Apart from of course, Igor Karkaroff."

"My Lord," another voice, who Harry identified as Avery, who had somehow been let go from custody despite being caught red-handed, responded, "Karkaroff has done a runner. He left on the eve of the final task. My men intercepted him at Dover, he was about to cross the channel the muggle way…"

Viktor glanced at Harry, whispering. "We cannot let them get away with this. My Headmaster is a good man now."

"We won't," Harry said, glancing into his pocket where he realised that he still held Excalibur, having been meaning to return it to Arthur, but was not yet granted the opportunity to do so. "Wait… what's that? Oh no, Sam, what did you do?"

Harry's eyes had zeroed in on the Spear of Destiny in Voldemort's hands. How Sam had ended up with the Spear and how it had fallen into Voldemort's hands, Harry wasn't sure, but he estimated that Mordred probably had put some sort of backup plan in place just in case something had gone wrong with his initial objective, and even though he had been swallowed up by whatever demon had emerged from hell itself, Voldemort was there to carry out his means. And chances were that Voldemort had the resources to use the Spear of Destiny as well. "What do we do now?" Fleur said, glancing across at Harry, as Voldemort cut down his brother from where he was held, using the Spear to bring him down. It had started to rain almost as soon as they had arrived, so Sam hit the muddy floor, where he was kicked over by Riddle.

"Wait for my signal. And I'm assuming you know what to do now," Harry said, glancing at Fleur, who nodded. He climbed to his feet and advanced brazenly through the Death Eaters, pushing them aside as he did so. "Excuse me…. Coming through. Sorry, ah, Nott, nice to see you! Your son's in my year! I don't know him much but he's getting good grades. Now… here we are, almost through, excuse me Malfoy…. Hello there, Voldemort! Nice to finally meet your acquaintance. I've heard so much about you."

The Death Eaters were stunned by the boldness of Harry, who had just forced his way through into the centre circle of their organization. "And who might this be?" Voldemort said, noticing Harry's presence at last. "You must be the brother. Harry Potter. You are brave, boy. To do what you have just done. Anybody else and I might have killed you for the very offence. But no, you are most certainly an interesting exception. I keep hearing your brother claiming that you are supposedly going to, what was it, ' _End Me like he Ended Mordred?'_ That certainly must be a most fascinating tale."

"It was, yeah," Harry said. "I mean, he was Mordred, but he wasn't exactly a big deal. Brushed him aside fairly easily. He tried to use that Spear. Didn't work out too well for him, did it?"

"But I am not Mordred," Voldemort sensed where Harry was going with this. "And you are outnumbered, Mr. Potter. Many times over. You cannot possibly hope to survive."

"Oh but here's the thing. Mordred said exactly the same thing," said Harry. "Something along the lines of being hopelessly outnumbered. But you know what? I wasn't exactly paying attention. Because the numbers. You may have all the soldiers you want in the world, it doesn't matter about that. It doesn't matter. Nobody wants your regime! Even if you do defeat me you don't have the power to defeat _every_ single person on the planet! There will always be someone to resist. I sound like a broken record, but here's a piece of advice. Quit while you're ahead. You got your body back, go retire. Do normal stuff. Leave the Dark Lord stuff to the professionals."

"How dare you insult me, Potter! I could have Chosen you. Selected you for greatness. Do you know why I didn't leave my mark upon you? Because you are weak. Pathetic. I sensed it at your birth and I sense it now," Voldemort said. "You are brave but foolish. Misguided. And this is what I say to you now. You have one choice. Join me. Or die."

"If I had a pound for every time I've heard that…" Harry said, dodging Voldemort's resulting Avada Kedavra that he hurled at Harry. The curse hit a gravestone slightly in front of where the elder Nott was standing, and then at that point, music kicked into play. At this point, Harry should have gotten tired of playing music in front of bad guys, but it never seemed to get old, especially when they were wizards. Their confused reactions to hearing music blast through the air towards them was completely unexpected. But what concerned Harry more was it was a song that he had not heard before, chosen from Fleur. It didn't take him long to work out that the song was singing something about an _Uptown Funk,_ but it seemed like an unlikely choice for Fleur Delacour to play. If he had been more omnipresent he would have made an observation as to how a song released in 2015 could be found being played several years earlier in 1995, but then he would have simply dismissed that as just another magical oddity, like the stars going out above The Riddle House. The Death Eaters confused reactions was enough to give Fleur and Viktor the element of surprise as they quickly stunned more than double their number, reducing the deficit as they took them by surprise. In that time, Sam had managed to work his way free and escape from captivity, finding Harry. "What's up with the music? This isn't like anything you normally play…"

"Jesus Christ, Sam, I'm kind of a little busy right now," said Harry, firing another spell back at Voldemort who returned with another blast of the killing curse in his wand. He wielded the Spear one-handed, spinning it about. "Since why did you decide it would be a good idea to bring the Spear of freaking Destiny into the Tournament? Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

"I'm sorry!" Sam said, standing back to back with Harry. "I don't know, I was going to hand it over to Dumbledore but I got a little distracted…"

"Fine," Harry said. "I believe you, the Spear can be mighty persuasive when it wants to be, I'm assuming this was Mordred's Plan B? Get the Spear to Riddle?"

"Yeah," said Sam. "I think. Something like that. Get the Spear to Voldemort, and then I don't know what from there. Hope that when he unmakes reality he can find a way to bring Mordred back, I guess."

"How did you get here? Triwizard Cup a Portkey, am I right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," said Sam.

"Well here's what we're going to do," said Harry. "On the count of three, you are going to turn around and run to wherever you landed. Fleur and Viktor will provide covering fire and that should take you back to Hogwarts…"

"What about you?"

"I've got to make sure that there is a Hogwarts to return to."

"But…"

"Go!" Harry shoved him back through the gap in the Death Eater ranks that Fleur and Viktor had cleared. Joining them, the Triwizard Champions ushered in a defensive retreat, leaving Harry to fend for himself.

"Potter!" Voldemort spun the Spear around, catching Harry and knocking him back, landing in a messy heap at the feet of Lucius Malfoy. The Dark Lord vanished from view, presumably having apparated to a closer reach of The Boy Who Lived, and Harry feared for his friends and brother. And then there was nothing for a second, followed by _everything._ Harry watched as Voldemort and Sam's spells met in the middle, the Death Eaters themselves awed by what was transpiring, the green clashing against the red.

"Of course," Harry said, climbing to his feet instantly. Using his hands, he yanked Malfoy off the floor where he was able to punch the Death Eater in the face, and to nobody in particular, he elaborated, "Their wands are brothers... Ollivander, you genius! That's too good to be a coincidence."

And then Harry's world changed forever. He immediately saw the green holographic light of a sniper rifle pointed at his stomach, that belonging to several sniper rifles in fact, and one-by-one, they were unleashed on the targets around him of the Death Eaters. There had been a big enough gap in the crowd to see the soldiers hit their marks, as Harry scrambled for cover as the Death Eaters were taken out one by one. Eventually, as Voldemort, Sam, Fleur and Viktor exchanged blows further down the graveyard and out of sight of the Death Eaters and the new arrivals, the wizards were picked off one by one thanks to the muggle soldiers keeping them by surprise. A few managed to panic and apparate away in time, caught between the choice of their own survival or helping their Master. Nott was caught with a stray bullet that sent him plunging to the floor on top of Harry, who used his wounded body for cover from the soldiers. _'How… how have they found out about us? How did they know?'_ Harry couldn't help but wonder as to why the muggles had arrived, wondering if there was some lingering connection to Fletcher's theft of the helicopter that he'd used to liberate Hogwarts, and wondered if he'd ever gotten around to returning them. But then that did not explain how the muggles found the location of Voldemort before the Ministry or the Order, or hell, even himself, found him.

"Weapons Hold! Weapons Hold," ordered a voice that sounded vaguely familiar to one that Harry had heard before, but couldn't place where off the top of his head. The soldier advanced slowly through the crowd ahead of everyone else, and eventually stumbled atop Nott's body. Nott by now had passed out from the blooded wound that was holding him back. The Sergeant pushed the body off Nott, and pointed his gun in Harry's face. "You… Wait. I feel like I should know you. On your feet."

He hauled Harry to his feet, and two soldiers surrounded them. "Sergeant Davis, Sir, Priority One has been located," said another man. "He appears to engaged in some kind of lightshow with three non-targets… Permission to engage?"

"Wait!" Harry said, suddenly realising. "Wait! You wouldn't happen to be related to Tatiana Davis, would you, Sergeant?"

"How do you know that name?"

"The name's Harry Potter, Sir."

"Potter," said Davis, his eyes widening. "So, you're the boy who she keeps talking about. The one who saved her."

"She remembered," Harry was relieved to hear.

"Bits and pieces, she was able to put the rest together with the help of her boyfriend, Scott," said Davis. "So what are you, some kind of wizard?"

"Some kind of wizard, yeah…" Harry said, having wondered what had become of both of the two muggles who had helped save him. "You came here wanting to kill Voldemort, correct?"

"If that is his name."

"Sir, we should be concentrating on the target, Priority One…"

"Stand down soldier," Davis ordered, glancing at Harry. "You saved my half-sister's life. From what I don't know. I don't know why you made her forget, or how, but I'm inclined to believe that you had good reason to. And would I be correct in assuming that you want Priority One dead as much as we do?"

"That would be correct," said Harry. "Assuming you mean Voldemort."

"Yes. We received an anonymous tip concerning his whereabouts, as well as data that linked him to several reported crimes. Normally the military doesn't intervene on home soil, but we had orders… Now. You know the target better than we do, I'm assuming. How do you suggest we proceed?"

"Give me five minutes," said Harry. "Five minutes to get my friends out of here and then I can help you take him down."

"Sir, we shouldn't be engaging with a Priority Target…"

"You had me down as a Priority Target?"

"You are the Man in the Suit, correct? The vigilante? Your actions in our community have not gone unnoticed."

"I'm not sure how you worked that out, but, I guess…"

"Well, in that case," said Davis. "You are a Priority Target. But given the circumstances… Five minutes, you said?"

"Five minutes," said Harry. "Trust me, you need me on your side, you don't know what you're dealing with."

"Well what are you waiting for?" Davis said. "I can delay for five minutes. We're ordered to pull out in seven. There's an air strike coming in, so if you're not out by then…"

"Let's get this done," Harry said, vanishing from view in front of Davis, leaving the soldiers behind to check the bodies. He re-appeared in front of Voldemort, where the connection between Sam and Riddle's wands had just finished, leaving him with nothing but his own wand to defend himself with. Fleur and Viktor had already reached the Portkey. Shouting, Harry yelled at them, "Go! I'll find another way!"

They looked at him, and he repeated his desire for them to leave after exchanging another flurry of spells with Voldemort. "So… you have chosen to let your friends escape and take the fall for them. No matter. I will kill you, and then, I will go to Hogwarts, and kill them."

"I'd like to see you try," Harry said, as Voldemort wielded the Spear.

"I notice your muggle allies have intervened. Do not worry. I will destroy them like I have destroyed them in the past. They are of no match for Voldemort."

"You know, when you start to talk in third person, you've really lost me," said Harry. "But… on second thoughts. NOW!"

The soldiers opened fire at Voldemort. The Dark Lord was quick to avoid or shield himself against the bullets, but one struck him in the arm, causing him to lose his grip on the Spear of Destiny. Instantly, Voldemort lunged for it, trying to recover, but Harry got there first, seized it, even though knowing full well that if he touched the Spear again with his bare hands, there would be consequences. Consequences that he was well and truly prepared to meet. He spun the Spear around in his both hands, but was blasted back across the floor by Voldemort, who quickly sent the nearby soldiers blasting back, among them Tatiana's half-brother. Harry began counting down the clock, noticing that a few soldiers were already retreating, and an idea began to form in his head, he had to be certain, he _had to be sure_ that there was no way Voldemort was ever going to come back again. He had brought up the possibility of horcruxes long before, but the Spear of Destiny was sort of a catch-all weapon. Once you were killed by it, there was no way of coming back, regardless of what backup plans you had in place. Harry knew that an air strike would not kill Voldemort for good, but he also knew that he needed to keep Voldemort distracted long enough from the incoming missiles in case he wasn't able to kill him.

His no-killing rule had been dismissed long ago. He tried to take people alive where possible but he reasoned with people like Voldemort and Mordred there were exceptions, just as there had been exceptions for anyone who tried to harm his friends or family, which is something that Voldemort seemed to be quite intent on doing to his brother. So, after weighing up the options, if that meant he could potentially kill Voldemort and Mordred in the space of a couple of days, removing two of the evillest men the wizarding world ever knew at the cost of his own life? He damn well would take it. Harry found himself back, next to Sergeant Davis. "Sergeant… I need your men to get the hell out of here, now. I've got this!"

"But what about the strike?"

"You think Voldemort's not going to see an air strike coming?" said Harry. "Someone's got to keep him distracted long enough."

"Sir," Davis couldn't help but offer a salute.

"Don't… Don't salute," said Harry with a sigh. "I'm not your ranking officer. Just get your men out. Now."

"Yessir," Davis insisted, and began to turn around from his hiding place. "What about Tatiana? Should I tell her?"

"Tell her as much as you want, Sergeant…." Harry said. "I had to wipe her memory because of the statue of secrecy. Given how many soldiers have seen this lightshow I'm pretty sure we can safely say the statute of secrecy is now well and truly broken."

"In that case," said Davis. "Good hunting."

"Good hunting," Harry nodded back, and Davis fired several bullets from his gun over cover, not really looking where they were headed. Harry returned fire too with his wand, drawing Voldemort away from the soldiers as he did so. Davis quickly got in touch with someone, presumably whoever was operating wherever the missile was coming from over the phone, and Harry began to accept his fate. But he vowed, not before Voldemort would meet his.

Lunging forward with the Spear of Destiny, Harry weaved his way in and out of Voldemort's onslaught of spells which came at a rapid-fire pace. He was swift, quick to counter them, running forward as he did so. Eventually he was in a close enough position to the Dark Lord to carry out his intended plan. "Here goes nothing," he said to nobody in particular, more to himself than anything, and used his wand to hurl several gravestones at Voldemort, ripping them off the ground as they attacked The Dark Lord pretty much simultaneously. Using the distraction, Harry pulled out Excalibur from his pocket, larger on the inside, and wielded both weapons firmly in both hands, a feat barely made possible but he was sure that the power of both, held together in one place for long enough, would be enough to deliver the killer blow.

By now Harry could almost hear the incoming missile, and knew he had to step up the pace. Driving both the Sword and Spear with all the strength he could muster into Voldemort's black heart, Harry could hear the screams of the dying man as he struggled to keep them in place. The screams, Harry soon realised, were coming from himself as well, as Voldemort was just able to cast off one last spell before the life fell from his eyes, one last defiant _Crucio,_ sending Harry collapsing to the floor in agony. Without the _Crucio_ Harry probably could have apparated away or at the very least used his wand to put up some sort of shield against the missile to blunt the impact, but that was not the case as he had already dropped his wand in favour of wielding both artefacts and now he no longer had access to both. ' _This is it…'_ Harry thought, embracing the inevitable. _'This is how I die.'_

He spread his arms, withering in pain, as wide as he could, adopting a 'come at me' stance, one last gesture of defiance, before the missile hit him and he knew nothing more. Nothing but darkness…

….

…

..

.

…For a total of one hundred and sixty-four seconds. Harry came coughing and wheezing back to life in the wreckage of the blast, as soldiers were swarming over the ruins, searching for dead bodies. They quickly found Voldemort's, or what was left of it, but Harry's seemed to be harder to find. They didn't seem to recognise his cries for help either, despite the fact that he was staring directly at them, and as close to them as he could possibly be. He was in full health too, so that was something, but the fact of the matter was – he was _not dead._

Unless he was. And this was the afterlife. Had he just become a Ghost? No. He could see his clothes and what he was wearing. He was far too flesh-like to be a ghost, even though, to his horror, when he put his hand through his stomach, there was nothing there at all. No flesh, no wounds, he was practically transparent. He might as well have been a Ghost, but then, that didn't explain why the soldiers couldn't see him. Unless muggles couldn't see Ghosts? That seemed to serve as a stark reminder.

"Don't worry," said a voice from behind him that he knew very well. "You're not a Ghost."

Harry spun around to come face to face with a direct replica of himself. He looked the same, acted the same, and hell, even talked the same. "Then… what am I?"

"That's a Boring, boring question, and not the one that you should be concerning yourself with right this moment," said the Not-Harry. "In fact, you know full well of the questions that you should be concerned with this moment. Remember what happened the last time we met?"

"…You. I know you. You're him, aren't you? The Not-Riddle."

"I thought you'd have figured out who I was by now."

"Death?"

"Close, but no cigar, I'm afraid. Death's far too busy to deal with the likes of you."

Harry's eyes dawned in realisation, a word filtering back to him from what seemed like a lifetime ago. "You're The Fisher King."

"Ten points to Ravenclaw! Congratulations. I am The Fisher King indeed. Good to know you're not as dumb as you look. Grindelwald took _years_."

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Harry. "So. Mr. Fisher King. What question was it that you wanted me to answer? I'm here, aren't I? You've got me right where you want me. It's not as if I'm going anywhere any time soon."

"I've asked you once before," said The Fisher King with a cool, calculated smile. "And I will ask you again. All you have to do is tell me… which world is real, and which world is not."

"But that's easy. This world is real."

"Are you sure, Mr. Potter? Are you quite sure?"

"Yes."

"Is that your final answer?"

"Don't I get three guesses?"

"Your third guess has expired. You only get two," said The Fisher King. "Sorry. Wish I could make the rules, but fact of the matter is, I can't. So, if you get this one wrong…"

"It's not wrong. You're bluffing. This is the real world. I've lived here all my life. I know what's real. That is my final answer. This world is _real._ "

The Fisher King waited for a moment, leaving Harry to await and find out whether his fate was pre-determined. He couldn't think of another possible world – apart from maybe his dreams, but then he seemed to remember that already having been dismissed as not real, by himself or The Fisher King himself, he couldn't recall. But what other worlds were out there? What other worlds were out there where he was anything but this version of Harry Potter? It was hard to believe, even for someone who had been raised on a healthy diet of reality-hopping shows like _Star Trek_ and its spinoffs.

"I hate to break it to you," said The Fisher King. "But this isn't just the only world out there where there is a Harry Potter. You're one version among millions of Harry Potters, stretching wide across the multiverse, just like there are millions of me. But that's something different. This is your story. This is your reality. Or should I say. Not your reality. This isn't reality at all."

"So, you're saying all this time, all sixteen years… it's been a lie? Impossible."

"Incorrect," said The Fisher King. "It hasn't all been a lie. It's happened. It's just that it isn't real."

"That makes no sense at all."

"It doesn't have to make sense," insisted The Fisher King.

"But if this isn't the real world… then what is?"

"I see what you did there, pity it was never going to work," said The Fisher King. "But this world, _this world,_ isn't real. There are multiverses and then there are realities. This is a fake reality. I'm about to show you _reality._ You just have to guess which one of which is the one where you belong. Are you ready?"

 **To Be Continued…**

I wanted to bring the army into play somehow and I felt like this was the best way to do it. I know they're not likely to get involved in homeland incidents until it becomes confirmed – it'd be like the National Guard being around before the Chitauri had showed up at the Battle of New York in _The Avengers,_ but the way I see it is that their officials were at least aware of magic and were able to dispatch the soldiers when they spotted Voldemort who they have a past history with as Voldemort would have likely come to blows with muggles during his previous rise to fame. So they would have been able to spot him. Plus, there's always that 'anonymous tip' there. I'm no expert on British military terminology (despite being from the UK), so I'd like to apologise if I got anything wrong.

I didn't mention any Theo Davis before in the Chapters with Tatiana by name but I reasoned if Tatiana was his half-sister (even though she was an orphan, Theo might not be - why Tatiana isn't more connected with her half-brother's family though, I'll leave that up to you to work out), then they might not speak that much to get away with Tatiana not mentioning him, but then the after-effects of the memory loss and the dreams that she was having would have caused her to turn to her family members. The way she's been able to remember partial elements of the magic in he dreams is something that can be explained by the charm not being properly done, or Harry wanting to allow Tatiana to retain some elements of her memory when he performed the spell so that in case a situation like this happened where muggles and magic met, she would be there to influence things further.

I'll explain more about the inclusion of _Uptown Funk_ later in the chapters, as I have a plot-relevant excuse for its inclusion. I wish I could claim that it was an original idea for using it as a soundtrack for a fight scene but AMC's brilliant _Preacher_ TV series beat me to it. It actually works so well as a fight song even if I was never a big fan of the song itself.

 **Film Recommendation of the Chapter** : Seeing as it's got some soldiers in this chapter, let's recommend _The Thin Red Line,_ one of my favourite war movies from Terrence Malick, one of my favourite directors. It's long but it's worth every second.

 **Fanfic Recommendation of the Chapter:** Vile Violent Vacations' _Damned Demented Demons._ It's not on but it's still a very good read, and gets the characters' personalities of both those from the Harry Potter and Supernatural universes spot on. Well worth a read if you like _Supernatural._


	38. We Could Be Heroes

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Thirty-Nine: We Could Be Heroes**

 **I.**

"And ladies and gentlemen, welcome today's 20 Questions, I'm your host, Ludo Bagman! You may remember me from such gameshows like Guess That Witch, Magicless, and Whose Wand is it Anyway?... tonight, I'm here with two guests, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, and we're here together to compete for a grand thousand dollars cash prize! Ladies and gentlemen, you know what that means!"

The crowd applauded, as Harry looked up, wondering what an Earth was going on. Where was he? Was this the reality that The Fisher King had meant? What was going on? He was on some kind of gameshow, sat across from a Draco Malfoy who he was somehow the same age, and in this reality, apparently wizards had television sets and everything. He recognised a couple of the audience members, Astoria Greengrass and her sister, Daphne Greengrass. "Now, let's run over the rules, quickly," Bagman said. "You have 20 questions. Get them all right, and then we bring out our mystery guest. But if you don't play your part…"

"Electrocution!" a roar went up from the crowd. Harry noticed where he was sat in one of the chairs, and realised that the whole floor had been wired to send channels of electricity from one side of the room to another. If he moved, Bagman would pull the button. There was no way this was real, he knew that from the first moment he set foot here. But then… why was he in the room at all?

"That's right. Lines are open now to make judgment calls about which round you think our competitors are going to go out on, remember, they have both done very well to get this far! I'm looking forward to taking your calls during the ad-breaks. And remember, one lucky caller could win a grand weekend getaway in France, Paris! The trip of a lifetime, brought to you live by The Daily Prophet. But now, without further ado, let's get on with the show… We have our first question lined up for you now, read to you by Hermione Granger. Hermione dear, would you like to tell us what it is?"

Hermione had appeared on the screen in front of Harry. He noticed that he seemed to spot Tom Riddle in the crowd and wondered if that Riddle was real or not, and realised that if it wasn't, it could have well been The Fisher King. However, he wasn't about to call him out now, no, he was smarter than that. Whatever game he would play, he would play it until the end, or until he found a way out. "Thank you, Ludo. My first question is… In What year did the Great Cornelius Fudge become Junior Minister of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophises? A) 1981, B) 1984, C) 1993 or D) 1801?"

 _Obvious,_ Harry realised that there were only two that it could possibly have been, 1981 and 1984, and he quickly ruled out 1984, replacing it with 1981. He scribbled it down on the piece of paper and turned it over to show Hermione. Draco did the same, at the same time, and eventually, the correct answer lit up on the screen where Hermione had been. It was The Year 1981. Both Harry and Draco had gotten it right, and the crowd burst into applause. ' _Okay… I could get use to this,'_ Harry thought, but moments later, after blinking from a flashing camera light, he found himself in a completely new situation entirely.

 **II.**

Harry found himself opening his eyes to a camera set. "Okay, Daniel, step forward please," announced a man zooming in on him with a camera. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Scene 32, Take One. Harry is standing in front of the Dragon in First Round of the Triwizard Tournament. Lights, Camera, Action!"

' _What the hell is this_?' Harry didn't have to wait long to put the pieces together to work out that he was in some kind of universe where his life was being filmed for some sort of film. There were several people around the room where he was, which seemed to be covered in mostly greenscreen, aside from a few small rocks that were probably not even real rocks at his feet. He realised he was in the first task of the Triwizard tournament, and looked down at the floor briefly to see that there was a line directing him where he was meant to go. Harry hastily took two steps forward.

"And cut! No, no, no, Daniel, that's all wrong! You've got to step forward like you're in danger, like there's some sort of dragon!" the man said. "Look. I know it's a leap, but imagine that the camera up there is the dragon, and it's going to hurl fire at you any second now, you're going to jump forward and shout _Accio Firebolt._ After me, Accio Firebolt."

" _Accio Firebolt_."

"My boy, why do you say it like that? You've got your pronunciations all wrong. I want more emphasis on the cs. Say it after me. _Accio Firebolt._ With Agency."

"Accio Firebolt. With Agency."

"No, obviously without the _With Agency_ part," the man said, sighing. "Let's try again. Screw it, we'll do it live. Come on, Daniel. You're better than this. What are you?"

"Better than this," Harry, who for some reason was being addressed as Daniel, whoever the hell that person was, but before he could continue his lines, he was pulled out of this reality again, and into another, different one entirely, by some unknown, mystical force, represented by whatever The Fisher King was.

 **III.**

Low, probably anachronistic, contempered pop music played in the background, although Harry seemed to be the only person to hear it, as Harry found himself looking at the gates of the high school that he had just arrived at. Everyone around him seemed to be heading into the school despite not actually looking anything like teenagers, and indeed, he himself, was edging forward slowly. He was wearing an American baseball cap backwards over his head, had earphones and a device called an iPhone in his pocket, and began to wonder what the hell was going on. Had he just ended up on some kind of American young adult movie? Where all the teenagers seemed to be played by people who weren't teenagers at all, and all appeared – both the men and the women – to be hopelessly attractive? Harry noticed one of them step forward to greet him, a blonde-haired man with more muscles than sense. "Hey, you're the new kid, right? Harry Potter, was it?"

"Yeah, who are you?"

"Names Dray," he said. "Dray Malfoy. You play baseball?"

"No, football…" said Harry, not quite sure why he was wearing the cap.

"Oh, neat. Cowboys or Patriots?"

Harry rolled his eyes for a second. "Sorry. Soccer."

"Soccer? Hah. Oh my God, you're actually serious," Malfoy said. Harry was pretty sure that he was looking at Draco Malfoy, but not quite sure why anyone thought Dray would ever be a good name. "So, what house are you thinking you'll be sorted in? Slytherin or Gryffindor? Everyone knows they're only two that anyone cares about. And then just on cue, Malfoy burst into song. Harry put the conclusion into place seconds later when everybody else joined in around him, he hadn't just ended up in some American young adult movie or television series, he had ended up in to his horror, a _musical._ And as much as he liked musicals, it was one thing to watch one, but it was a completely different one to live in…

 **IV.**

Thankfully, Harry did not have to live in the world of the musical for long. He found himself pulled away again at a lightning speed at a blink of an eye that took him to another dimension entirely, one different from the last.

It was a cold and stormy night. The rain pattered down amongst Harry's black trenchcoat that he was wearing, as he made his way through the sleazy atmosphere of New Orleans after dark. He had been called here to answer a summons, a summons from a friend whose friendship with him had almost lasted as old as his time on Earth. In his late forties, he pushed himself into the hotel where he was meeting Ron Weasley, only to find police at the scene. "What's wrong, Detective?" Harry couldn't help but ask, flashing the nearest beat cop a P.I. badge.

"Well, if it ain't the private dick himself, Harry Potter. Male, late forties, red-haired, deceased," whispered the Detective, using the slang term for P.I.'s. The man himself was a brazened, veteran Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had by now well depended on Harry's involvement to solve most of his cases. "He fell from the fourth floor. We're just clearing up his body now… it gave the receptionist quite a nasty surprise."

 _Red haired, late forties…_ Harry quickly put the pieces together. "That wouldn't happen to be Ron Weasley, would it? We were due to meet."

"I'm afraid so," said Shacklebolt. "Ronald Weasley, town drunk. I don't suppose you can disclose any information about why he wanted to meet with you at this hotel?"

"He wanted to tell me something about my parents' murder," said Harry. "Said it was urgent and that I had to come quickly. Do you think he was killed?"

"All the evidence points to a suicide," said Shacklebolt. "He wrote a letter apologising for the mess and he would have thrown himself out of the window but he couldn't remove the bars on the windows. Almost makes you feel sorry for the man if true. Got to love the extra detail on the forgery though. Means we're looking for someone who isn't very strong."

"Weasley could hit lows pretty often but he was always too proud to off himself," commented Harry, his thick Southern drawl sounding unnatural to him. "Do me a favour, Shack. Enquire at 43rd Street Avenue. The Pub, The Hanged Man? There's a contact of mine there. He's been following this particular murderer for a while…"

"This particular murder?"

"They call him Voldemort," said Harry, with a slick, southern drawl, informing him of his state that he heralded from in this universe was most likely south of the Mason-Dixon line.

"It means Flight from Death in French," said Shacklebolt. "Yeah, we've seen this old bastard before. He's a tough nut to crack, I'm not sure if it's one person though. Evidence suggests, could be more than one."

"No, Voldemort is just one person," said Harry, choosing not to point out that Flight from Death was not in fact a direct translation, but a bad one. It was actually _Vol de la Morte_ , and even then, he was not a hundred per cent sure that was spot on. "But his Cult? They're the fanatics. If he wasn't directly here, it was one of them. Have you checked the area nearby for any graffiti?"

"Graffiti? Why would I do that?"

"Last four Voldemort murders," said Harry. "The Patil Twins, Old Man Fudge, and The German… all had the graffiti of the dark mark nearby the crime scene. It's they're sigil."

"Oh, and at the Givens murder…"

"The Givens murder was just a copycat," insisted Harry. "Trying to cover up his own wife's killing so he could make off with the money. The real killer so far has only murdered four people."

"Only…"

"Therein lies the problem. Four killers isn't enough to create a panic, not in New Orleans, someone's killed every other night here. But five? Five people means front page national news. The sort of exposure that they want. More followers."

"So if we stop him before he kills one more person," said Shacklebolt. "We stop the Cult."

"Precisely. Someday you'll actually deserve the title of Detective. It's a wonder how you got the job in the first place."

"You know with talk like that, it's a wonder that I don't just arrest you here and now and be done with it. You're technically breaking the law by being on this crime scene."

"But then, who'd catch your murderer?" Harry said, turning around, leaving Shacklebolt behind. He had seen all he had needed to see. Weasley was dead, and he knew who the next target was going to be. He was smart enough to put the pieces together, they were going after members of Dumbledore's Army, the underground club, the freedom fighting bunch of idealists named after a legendary general who had fought in the American Civil War for the Union, hailing from British territory.

"Wait, where are you going? Don't you want to look at the body!"

"I've seen all I need to see," said Harry.

Interestingly, this particular dream seemed to last a bit longer than the last one. It wasn't long before Harry found himself at the Leaky Cauldron, a haunt of his when he was in the area. The seedy pub was lit up dimly, and today, it had a singer at the front of the small stage, a young, singer with red hair who Harry did not know the name of. She reminded him of his mother, and was singing an old classic from the previous decade, the 1960s.

" _The night we met I knew I needed you so,  
And if I had the chance I'd never let you go,  
So won't you say you love me,  
I'll make you so proud of me.  
We'll make 'em turn their heads every place we go…"_

"Well if it ain't Harry Potter," the Southern drawl of Rosmerta, the regular bartender, greeted him. "How you doing, Harry? It's been a while. I was beginning to think you'd almost forgotten about me."

"Who's the girl?"

"Oh, she's new. Ginny Weasley…" said Rosmerta. The name rang a bell to Harry, almost breaking him out of the funk that he was in, like he'd heard it somewhere before. But the longer he was spending in New Orleans, the longer he was beginning to lose himself. "Why. You interested? She's available after if you want, I can get you a private dance."

"No thanks, she looks too much like my mom," said Harry, the American terminology feeling weird, but then he was _American,_ after all, distinctively _American._ Why would the use of _mom_ in place of _mum_ feel weird? And just who was his mother anyway? Was it Lily Evans? Or somebody else? Memories from two different lives collided in one, and as this life had multiple decades on the last, things began to get more worrisome by the second. Rosmerta laughed, taking a puff of her cigar before offering one to Harry.

"What brings you back to New Orleans, Harry? Thought you were always more of a L.A. man. The City of Angels lost its charm? You elected?"

"No, but I got nominated real good," Harry said, smiling at the old exchange that they had when they had first met. Rosmerta had mistaken him for the young mayoral candidate Samuel Evans (a relation? He wasn't sure, two memories clashed), and as a big fan of _The Magnificent Seven,_ he couldn't resist the opportunity to turn down a reference to the conversation between Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen when they first met. "How's business?"

"Crappy as ever. It's a miracle I'm still running," said Rosmerta, leaning over the bar. "Is this a business meeting… or can we go somewhere more personal?"

There were very few other people in the bar, and Harry realised just how quiet it was. Weasley was playing to an empty audience, but he supposed she didn't care, as long as in the end, she got paid. Weasley herself continued the song as they walked on by. If Harry didn't know better he would have said that she was a member of The Ronettes, her throwback fashion choices to the sixties made her stand out. Rosmerta snapped to one of the nearby bartenders, "Oi, you. Irish. Look after the bar while I'm gone. And you better not spill anything, you hear?"

 _"So won't you, please, be my be my baby,  
Be my little. baby my one and only baby,  
Say you'll be my darlin', be my be my baby,  
Be my baby now, my one and only baby,  
Wha-oh-oh-oh."_

They found themselves in a small, red, VIP enclosure towards the back of the pub that rarely saw use. After a quick glance around the bar, Rosmerta closed the curtain behind them and sat down opposite the table. "Now we can talk _business_. What you buying?"

"Information. What's your price?"

"Three Galleons," said Rosmerta. Galleons was the currency used by anyone who was on the take, anyone who answered to anyone who was outside the law. It had since surpassed the usage of the U.S. dollar in some corners of America, where crime was at its highest, and had instantly became the tool of the trade for any man who wanted to make some _real_ money. Harry sighed, and handed over the Galleons to Rosmerta. "Thank you kindly. Now, what do you want to know?"

"The location of Neville Longbottom. Rumours are he's next on You-Know-Who's Hit-list."

"Longbottom? You don't want to go anywhere near there," Rosmerta said with a scowl. "He's Malfoy's right-hand man now. Funny things happen since you've been gone. He switched. Or Malfoy switched. It's hard to tell, their methods were so similar."

"Interesting," said Harry. "But do you know where he's going to be?"

"Rumour has it he's going to the movies," said Rosmerta. "Brand new picture released tonight, premieres exclusively at the New Orleans Boulevard Cinema, the Theatre of Dreams. It's called _The Philosopher's Stone,_ epic fantasy romp. Rumoured to be in Oscar contention, although my money's on _The Godfather_ myself. That'll be hard to top."

"Good to know," said Harry. "Boulevard Cinema, huh? You wouldn't happen to have an invitation?"

"As it happens, I do," said Rosmerta. "But you need to look like Samuel Evans in order to get away with it. He's… otherwise occupied. His gambling debts, you see. I have procured his ticket, but you need a plus one, someone who can pass as his wife."

"That's a hard ask. Granger's one of a kind."

"Then allow me to introduce you to my Master of Disguise. Nymphadora Tonks," said Rosmerta, nodding to a nearby camera. The door opened, and in walked the woman known as Nymphadora Tonks, or, from Harry's viewpoint, she might as well have been Hermione Granger herself. "Very good, Tonks. This might be your best one yet."

"Thank you, Madame Rosmerta. As flattering as ever," said Tonks, with a smile. "So, is this the illustrative Harry Potter? I expected you'd be taller."

"And I expected you to look like Hermione Granger," said Harry, with a sarcastic quip that Tonks seemed to like. She knew he wasn't being serious. "Are we good?"

"We're good. The Taxi's going to be here in ten. I have arrangements to take care of, I'll meet you outside."

"Good," Harry said, sizing up Tonks for a second, before she left, stumbling over the step to the private room as she left. Harry followed suit, heading outside to catch some fresh air, bidding farewell to Rosmerta in preparation of the night ahead. However, before he could go any further, a vicious gut-punch brought him to his knees and he was knocked unconscious.

 **V.**

Coming to with a blistering headache, Harry found himself bound in a chair in an empty warehouse where he was standing opposite from men in black masks, and hooded, paganistic costumes. Their leader was an albino, and the only one not wearing any masks at all. "So," Harry spat, coughing up blood. "You're the one they call Voldemort."

"That would be correct. And you are the Private Investigator they sent to take care of me? Oh, how very bold of you to think you could stop me," said Voldemort. "Now, Harry Potter. You are about to learn the hard way."

Harry couldn't help but get the feeling of deja-vu, like he'd faced Voldemort before somewhere. But such a feat was almost impossible, this was the first time he'd met the man, he'd recognise as someone as distinctive as Voldemort anywhere in public before. Unless…

Memories began to flood back to him, a wave of another life, where he was a boy wizard, a vigilante, overcame Harry the Private Investigator in a second. It gave Harry every instinct to smile, breaking free of the cuffs, using his initiative to prepare to take Voldemort down. Feeling in his pocket he found something that was not there before, something that he had never seen before yet felt oddly natural at the same time, something that he had known all his life. He knew this because he knew exactly what to do with it. Pointing it at the nearest Death Eater, he let the strange word fill from his mouth, " _Stupefy_!"

A red jolt of light was thrust from the stick, hitting the Death Eater in the chest. He slumped to the floor, which caused the others to pull out their guns, one by one, aiming it at Harry. Remembering what to do with this weapon, he created a smokescreen, dodging behind a cargo crate. But this did not stop the Death Eaters from unleashing hell with the guns on the crate, bullets bouncing off them. Glancing at the tracker he'd placed on himself after leaving the hotel, Harry began to think, ' _Any time now, Shack…'_

But before he would find the answer to whether his ploy had worked, he found himself blinking again, blinking as he had done before, on the movie set, in the high school, and in the game show. His memories had returned completely now, the story of Harry the Wizard, and now got the feeling that whatever The Fisher King wanted him for, he was about to find out the truth. And whatever the truth was, he was about to find it out at a funeral, in a torrent of rain, where a crowd of people were standing around a coffin on the middle of a hill.

"Welcome Harry," said The Fisher King, who had taken the form of Harper, Harry's younger sister, who stood behind him in the rain, wearing a purple hoodie and blue jeans. "I was beginning to worry when you weren't showing up. Did we have a bit too much fun in New Orleans?"

"I'll admit, it was something different," said Harry. He noticed that he was a teenager now, yet the shift from all of these different bodies came natural to him. "I did want to be a Private Investigator when I grew up. Was always a big fan of Raymond Chandler…"

"And yet, you became a vigilante."

"Well, Batman kind of won out in the end," said Harry with a shrug. "Besides, Private Investigators in the wizarding world don't exactly go down too well with the public."

"Neither do vigilantes."

"Point taken," said Harry. "Anyway, what's here? Why did you bring me here?"

"This is the centre of your realities," said The Fisher King. "This is for you, at least, the end of the line. The last one there, one of the darkest timelines out there. Trust me, this is one you don't want to be stuck in."

"Why? Whose funeral are we at?"

"Yours, Harry Potter," The Fisher King said, and Harry finally started to recognise some of the faces of those covered in black robes. That of his family. James and Lily Potter, and his young, baby brother, Sam, "Welcome to the world where you died and your brother lived on that fateful night, all those years ago."

 **To Be Continued…**

I've always wanted to write a hard-boiled detective pulp fiction novel at some point so for a little test run/one-shot in this chapter sounded appropriate. This is essentially the final act now, with one more chapter after this followed by an epilogue, with the next chapter aiming to answer as many unanswered questions as possible that will not be tied up in the epilogue. For the first time since Chapter 10, _It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,_ I'm not using a song title for a Chapter, but rather a line from a song in the form of _We Could Be Heroes,_ taken from _Heroes_ by David Bowie. And I know that Rosmerta doesn't work at the Leaky Cauldron, but then again, the noir reality was an AU, so it wasn't always going to be a perfect replica of main events.

I imagine that the galleons in the noir AU are equivalent in value to the assassin coins used in the _John Wick_ universe. There may not be any strict wizarding world as the Death Eaters are just normal thugs, and Harry was only able to get his wand back because he's Harry from another dimension where he has a wand. Another shoutout to _The Magnificent Seven,_ too.

Fanfic Recommendation of the Chapter: Morta's Priest wrote a terrific crossover with The Marvel Universe, _Wand and Shield._ It plays out very well and if you're an _Avengers_ fan I can't help but recommend it.

Film Recommendation of the Chapter: _Raw,_ a French film that's part teenage coming of age movie, part cannibal movie, and it's one of my favourite films of the year so far. I highly recommend it and encourage you to check it out if you're a fan of smart 'horror' movies like this one.


	39. Just For One Day

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter 39: Just for One Day**

 **I.**

Nineteen Seventy-Six was a very important year. It was not just the year where the events that would lead into the story of the Amityville Horror would take place, but it was also the year when Apple was formed by two Steves, a Jobs and a Wozniak. Nobody knew it at the time, but Apple would one day go on to become one of the largest tech companies in the modern world. It also saw Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan replace his fellow party member, Harold Wilson in charge of the British Government, who would in turn be replaced by Conservative Prime Minister Margert Thatcher. It was also the same year that saw the public notoriety of the Sex Pistols swear several times on Bill Grundy's show, in rather controversial fashion, promoting the release of their debut single, that would go onto become a punk rock classic, _Anarchy in the U.K._ It was also the year that a certain boy by the name of Harry James Potter was born to the parents of Lily and James Potter, fresh out of Hogwarts, and very much in love.

Four years later they had another child, at the turn of the decade, in Nineteen Eighty. His name was Samuel Potter. He would be marked as the Chosen One by Lord Voldemort, but his destiny would become an even more troublesome one. Because what marked this reality as being different from the one that Harry, who was currently observing his own funeral – knew, that the Harry of this reality was killed in the attack by Voldemort. The four-year-old didn't know much but he knew enough to get in front of his younger brother, potentially by accident, potentially on purpose, maybe Voldemort killed him first before turning his attention to Samuel, but whatever happened, Harry Potter died. His parents had gone out to the opera to watch a play and had returned home to a devastated household, ruined in the aftermath, with only one left alive. Their family had been destroyed by the Dark Lord, who in return, had been destroyed himself. Nobody wasn't sure and nobody really cared, because in the view of James and Lily Potter, they had done the unforgivable. They had abandoned their own sons, and it was only by a miracle that one still stood alive.

"Do you want me to show you what happens next?" The Fisher King asked the Harry from the alternate dimension, who was standing next to the being that currently was posing as his younger sister, Harper, who in this timeline wasn't born yet. "What happens if we change _one small difference_?"

"The difference of taking me out of the equation. What happens?"

"Eventually, life returns to normal for the Potters. They have a second child, Harper Potter," said The Fisher King. "Both of them have the power to use magic, and both go to Hogwarts and are sorted into Gryffindor. Voldemort uses Quirrell to try and steal the Philosopher's Stone. Samuel stops him with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Some things never change."

"Where are we now?" Harry noticed that the scenery had changed. Instead of looking at a funeral he was now looking at the inside of an empty jail cell.

"Azkaban," commented The Fisher King.

"Why bring me here? And why can't I sense the Dementors?"

"Because they can't sense you. Remember, you're not from this reality, and you're not really here."

"If I'm not really here, why are you showing this? I thought you were meant to make me decide which of the realities were real," said Harry.

"We'll get to that part in a minute," said The Fisher King. "Just shut up and watch."

Time sped up. Several jeers could be heard outside the cell, signifying the arrival of a new inmate. Harry wondered who it could have been, but was shocked at the answer that he had waiting for him. It was a twelve-year-old Samuel Potter, afraid, begging for his life, pleading his innocence, looking completely out of his depth and completely humiliated. His face was bloody, and the Aurors that carried him wouldn't even look him in the eye. "No… what happened?" Harry asked, watching the scene almost play out in a slow motion-style montage, that could have used a backing track of something like The Clash's _I Fought the Law._ "Sam's not a killer."

"You're right. This Samuel did not kill anyone."

"Then why is he in jail?"

"Because he was too late to save someone," said The Fisher King. "Watch."

The scene changed, revealing the Chamber of Secrets. Harry watched it play out before his eyes, unable to do anything, as Sam ran into the Chamber, to find Ginny Weasley. The battle ensued with Riddle as much as it had done, but here, there was no Harry to stab the book at the same time. Sam got to the book too late to save Ginny, and although he was able to stab it before Voldemort regained corporeal form, he wasn't quick enough to get the girl to the hospital wing, even with Fawkes. Harry watched, helpless, as one-by-one, Hogwarts turned against him. "This is what would have happened had you not been around."

"So he's in jail. What happens next?"

"There's a defence of course," explained The Fisher King. "Ron Weasley is eventually persuaded by Harper and Hermione that Sam didn't set everything free. They win the support of Remus Lupin, the defence teacher the following year. They go as far up as Dumbledore. But Dumbledore fears that the time Samuel spent in prison could turn him into a Dark Lord, so decides to keep him there for his own safety and does not pursue the matter."

"That makes no sense at all."

"I know. Sometimes in these realities, Dumbledore makes… questionable decisions, let's say," said The Fisher King. "But eventually, something snaps. Lupin enlists Black and your father and they go to try and bust Samuel out of Azkaban. The Marauders reunited. They even bring back Peter Pettigrew, who helps them because he hopes to smuggle Sam to the Dark Lord."

"What?"

"Yeah. Third year goes a little differently without a Samuel Potter around. There's no need for Pettigrew to go straight to Hogwarts, so instead, he tries to play the victim," said The Fisher King. "Everyone is so distraught by Sam's turn that they need the help they can get. Pettigrew of course, betrays them in the end and they are arrested after his escape."

Harry watched the events unfold, watched the Aurors surround the Marauders, watched Pettigrew turn into a mouse at the last possible second and escape, like history repeating itself all over again. The scenery eventually changed, resembling the outside of the Auror Office. He heard loud, raised voices, followed by an exclamation, followed by a tearful retreat. The Fisher King told him that Tonks had made an embarrassment of herself on her first case and was fired as a result, having few people in positions to protect her from the growing influence of Voldemort's followers and the fact that she was a known Order of the Phoenix associate.

And then, when Voldemort eventually returned, using the Philosopher's Stone, something which wasn't destroyed in this reality, The Death Eaters led a raid on Grimmauld Place whilst everyone was attending a meeting for the Order of the Phoenix, tipped off by a drunken Mundungus Fletcher, who had not been employed by Harry in this reality. Mordred never got the opportunity to be freed because there was no Mordred in this reality beyond just a figment of somebody else's imagination, but the reality was far worse than Mordred's temporary regime in charge of Hogwarts. Voldemort was victorious by what would have been Samuel and Harry's seventh year, and eventually, one-by-one, the resistance was crushed.

Voldemort had won.

"You see what I mean," The Fisher King said. "You see how important you are now."

"I'm still struggling to get why me."

"Oh, I had my eye on you from the very beginning. Influencing your decision in several small matters. I had to see if you were worthy to wield Excalibur to defeat Mordred," said The Fisher King. "Because that was why I chose you. I needed to know."

"And?"

"Well let's just say you need to pass the final test."

"Normally people test whether or not they're worthy before they actually fight The Dark Lord, not after."

"Well, time is a non-linear concept to me," said The Fisher King. "I am everywhere and nowhere. It may not have happened to me yet."

"You've been in my mind since I touched the Spear. How can that not have happened to you yet?"

"Oh, I've been in your mind long before that. You see, you touching the spear opened me up to explore your entire life. Ultimately, I deemed that Grindelwald wasn't worthy. What about you, Harry Potter? Are you ready to break the chain?"

"I have to work out which world is real and which one isn't, correct?"

"Correct," said The Fisher King. "You have a choice. The High School and the Musical. New Orleans. The Game Show. Which world is real, and which world is not? That is the question. Now I need your answer."

"If I get this right, I'm free?"

"Correct."

"There's no hidden motive, no trick, no lies? Do I have your word?"

"You have my word," said The Fisher King with a smile. "This is the End of the Line. After this, this is the end."

"What happens if I get it wrong?"

"Well, you've seen what happened to Grindelwald," said The Fisher King. "There are no guarantees that it'll happen to you though, everyone has different experiences."

"Everyone? Who's touched it before?"

"Look at all the Great Leaders in History," said The Fisher King. "At some point, about ninety-five per cent of them have touched the Spear of Destiny in their lives, ever before or after they came to power."

"So what if they touch it when they're eighty? Does that mean you get to go back and alter the past to suit them?"

"The past is already altered because they touched it in the future," said The Fisher King. "It's destiny, in short, that they will end up touching the Spear, and I will be there to greet them. Nothing can change that. No matter the timeline. One day, you will touch the Spear… and I will have complete, and total access to your mind. My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair."

They were now in the middle of an open field. There were no buildings anywhere in sight, and the sky was a clear, crystal blue. "Where are we now?" Harry asked.

"At the beginning of everything," said The Fisher King. "The first human being is just… a few steps away from us right now. About to take its very first breath on the planet Earth. Of course, it's not quite perfect evolution yet, there's still a long way to go, but the point is… I will always be there, but… I cannot do my work alone. I need guiders. People to do it for me. You are one of these people, Harry. I am a traveller, walking by, passing through. But I cannot intervene."

"Sounds like you've done a lot of intervening to me."

"Oh, sure. But your case is different! There's a whole new world living in your head where you _weren't meant to live_! Someone picked you up and put you in an entirely new dimension, changing the rules of everything at a whim!" said The Fisher King. "That is why I am here. To test to see if you are worthy. And to see if I can save you. Now. The question. We have dawdled too long. I want your answer."

"Can I phone a friend?" Harry joked. "But I get your point. I am ready to answer. It's quite simple, really. You see all this time, I've been watching you. Learning to play your game by your rules. And I haven't just learned. I've adapted. I've learned enough to know that your questions are never as simple as they appear, there's always one more question. There's always one more riddle. You can never have enough. On and on it goes, the circle, never ending, never dying, _no wonder Grindelwald_ went mad with you in his mind! He had you up there for decades, I've had you in here for about a year and I almost lost it. But I've figured it out! Finally. I've figured out how you play your games and I've decided one thing. No. More."

Silence fell on the grassy landscape. A few clouds were forming in the background, but they were a long way off. Harry continued. "The fact of the matter is you've been lying to me this whole time. No world that you've shown me is the 'correct' reality. They're all fake."

There was another long pause before The Fisher King started clapping. "Oh, you're good. You're very good. Quite a speech, Harry, and you're spot on. All of them are imaginations. The fake reality, well, we never quite knew how it began, do we? But the real one… do you want to see it?"

Harry took a pause, and then after a long consideration, said. "No. I don't."

"What? You don't want to see where you are _really_ born? You don't want to know the truth about the reality you never knew?"

"That's exactly why I don't want to see the truth," said Harry. "The reality I never knew is the reality I never knew. I don't want to live someone else's life. Whoever that Harry Potter is, it's not me. I'm me. I want to stay being me as long as possible."

"Hm… that is quite an interesting conundrum you've given me there. Normally I wouldn't be too keen to give the green light, but considering, you are you," said The Fisher King, "And I am me… I think we can make it work. But you'll miss out, on all the little differences. Did you know Roger Davis' name is really Roger Davies, for example? And did you know that _Uptown Funk_ is going to be a really catchy song?"

"Enough. Take me home."

"Very well," said The Fisher King.

"Wait… I don't suppose, seeing as this is a fake reality, would you be able to make one or two small adjustments?"

"I can't exactly erase Mordred from existence, if you know what I mean," said The Fisher King. "But… I can do small things."

"Like bring a person back to life?" Harry asked optimistically.

"It depends on the person. And this is a one-catch deal, once you use it… you can't use it again. And certain sacrifices have to be made."

"Like?"

"It effects different people differently," commented The Fisher King. "I cannot say for sure. Accelerated aging process? Maybe people begin to forget you existed? You have to wonder, is it worth it, in the end? Bringing that one person back from the dead?"

"It is to me," Harry said.

"Very well," said The Fisher King. "who would that person be?"

"Remus Lupin."

"That is do-able," said The Fisher King. "Now, I suppose you want to know how you get back home?"

"Yes."

"It's simple," said The Fisher King, with a nod. "All you have to do… is play the game until the end. Maybe even sing a little song. Your life is now yours Harry Potter. Have fun with it."

"I will," said Harry. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I may be a liar and a trickster," said The Fisher King. "But I keep my word when I strike a deal like this. You will never hear from me again. _Ever_."

"I hope you don't take offence, but I've seen enough of you to last a lifetime."

"No offence taken," said The Fisher King, with a nod. "Out of people who have put up with me in the past, you are among the more welcoming and compliant ones that I've had the pleasure of dealing with. Thank you for your services. Good luck, Harry Potter."

 **II.**

Harry never got to say another word, before he found himself back in the abandoned warehouse, dealing with multiple soldiers coming from different corners, all at once, one after the other. The soldiers belonged to the Death Eaters gang, and he was a Private Detective again. Wondering why The Fisher King had thrust him back into this reality he presumed the only way out was through, and instantly decided that it was better late than never. This time however, things were different, he knew that the reality wasn't real, or at least, not as real as his reality was, and therefore, that meant a few adjustments could be made. Music, anachronistic, action-y music, kicked into life. The Simple Minds' hit, _Don't You (Forget About Me_ ) blared over the room, startling the Death Eaters momentarily who looked for the source of the music. The music itself, it turned out, covered up the sirens, and as Harry was blasting his wand away at the oncoming attackers, the police arrived in the background, in full force, followed by Shacklebolt, leading the way. The Detective instantly brought down the nearest Death Eater, and eventually, all were handcuffed, including Voldemort.

"Ah, Detective," said Harry, as Voldemort was being led away in chains, shouting something about revenge. Harry didn't pay much attention to that, more focused on the man opposite him. "I was wondering when you'd show up. I never got the chance to say thank you."

"The tip at The Hanged Man led us here," said Shacklebolt, "Abandoned warehouse where the suspect fleeing the scene was last sighted. You're welcome. How the hell are you still alive?"

"Let's just call it magic and leave it at that."

"There's a woman around your age waiting for you outside," Shacklebolt said. "You may want to speak to her."

"Very well," said Harry, leaving the warehouse, where he found himself meeting with none other than Nymphadora Tonks, who no longer was looking like Hermione Granger, but instead sported dyed blue-hair. "Miss Tonks?"

"Nice job with the whole Death Eater thing," said Tonks. "Turns out you don't need me after all."

"Well, I don't know about that. There is still a movie premiere to go to after all, is there not?"

"Harry Potter. Are you asking me on a date? We've only just met."

"Well I'd hate to see Madame Rosmerta's ill-gotten gains be wasted," said Harry, with a smirk. "Do you still have your Granger disguise on you?"

"It's in my bag," said Tonks. "I'll need somewhere to change, however…"

"Well, this warehouse did just recently become available," said Harry with a smirk, knowing that there was a crime scene established, but given what he had just helped the police do, he could buy a few minutes alone.

 **III.**

Harry quickly found himself awake again, mercifully this time at the end of a musical dance number from Draco "Dray" Malfoy. Dray had just wondered off like nothing had happened, and they hadn't spent the last five minutes talking in song, and he instantly stumbled into the school wondering what he was supposed to do here. Over the school radio system, music was playing in the form of David Bowie's _Modern Love,_ which gave him a rough idea about what was going to happen next, if clichés were clichés. "Harry Potter," a man in his late forties, only looking a few years older than Malfoy. addressed him in the corridor, the only one with a British accent, but it felt forced, like an American actor was trying to play someone from England and failing. "Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am your new Principal. As it happens, we have one other new exchange student starting this year, a transfer from the French school of Beauxbatons, I was wondering if you would be kind enough to accompany her. I often find that two people working in an unfamiliar situation together will produce better results than just the one person."

Harry nodded, rounding the corner, where he found himself faced with a blonde-haired French girl whose name he remembered almost immediately, an echo from another world, before Dumbledore – whatever this man was – he was not the Dumbledore that Harry knew – said anything. It was Fleur however who broke the silence first, recognising Harry almost instantly. "You must be the new student, correct?"

"Yes. My name is Harry Potter."

"Fleur Delacour. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

 **IV.**

"And action!" the director said, and Harry quickly knew what to do, he'd seen the event play out before his eyes before, hell, he'd even participated in it in real life.

" _Accio Firebolt_!" Harry poured his heart and soul into the spell, but as he looked up, he expected the broom to come sweeping down before he remembered he was on a movie set, and then…

"Cut!" The director said, approaching the teenager. "Well done Daniel. That's a wrap on this morning's shooting everyone, let's go and have some lunch!"

 **V.**

"And we are down to our final question," Ludo Bagman announced, as a loud applause went up from the crowd. "Welcome back to 20 Questions with me your Host and our last contestant, Harry Potter – who has just beaten Draco Malfoy to get this far by guessing that yes indeed, Rita Skeeter was originally a Hufflepuff, not a Slytherin. Harry, if you get the jackpot right, you win 1 hundred galleons! What are you planning on doing with your money?"

"Well, it's not mine yet, is it?" Harry said, and Bagman chuckled.

"Good point there, Harry. But if you _were_ to win it?"

"I would take a much-needed holiday," Harry said, earning a laugh from the crowd, as if they knew the experiences that he'd gone through. "But enough about that. Let's get on with it. What's the Question?"

"Guess the identity of the Mystery Guest," said Bagman. "That's simple. We have one guest from your past experiences, here, I've included a few questions for the record. I only have one thing to ask you now… who's behind the door?"

The audience echoed Bagman's last comment, and a red door with a white question mark appeared by the side of the room. "You have no options left. You can't phone a friend, use 50/50 or ask the audience. It's all down to you now, Harry. Best of luck."

"Um…" Harry took a moment to consider, wondering who the person behind the door could be. But in the end, he knew that there could only be one answer. "Remus Lupin."

"Correctamundo!" Bagman said as the door opened, and the man walked into the room to a round of applause. Lupin and Harry hugged, and Harry got the feeling that this was the Lupin that he knew, not the one from the fake dimension. "Congratulations Harry Potter! You have won the grand prize, one thousand galleons!"

A confused look on Lupin's face told Harry all he needed to know. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"Don't worry. We're going home," was all Harry had the time to say before the world that he currently knew had vanished once more.

 **VI.**

It was later that same evening, and Harry got the feeling that it was still very much the same world as before. Wondering why he hadn't left it, and where Lupin had gone, he found himself alone on the streets of a nameless city, in a nameless future, passing through. Eventually, he chanced upon a pub by the name of The Leaky Cauldron, which happened to be advertising Karaoke night, and he entered, out of curiosity more than anything, half expecting there to be wizards and witches inside. But instead it was a muggle pub, and somebody was doing a very bad rendition of Jefferson Airplane's _Somebody to Love._ It didn't take Harry quick to realise that this was Ginny Weasley, with her husband Neville Longbottom, and that in this reality, she wasn't such a good singer as she'd been in the noir one. There was a half-hearted applause when she finished and departed the stand, her face red with embarrassment as she re-joined her husband.

Harry sat down at the bar, as the DJ began putting on a song. A bartender approached him, and Harry recognised her almost immediately, the same blue hair that she had worn in the noir dimension. She, like Harry, was a few years younger, in their early twenties. "Hey. You Harry Potter?"

"Yeah," he said.

"From the man over there," said the woman. "The name's Tonks, by the way. If you want to give me a call later, my numbers on the other side."

Harry helped her from where he was sat. The music that was currently playing by the DJ was a cover of Bruce Springsteen's _I'm on Fire_ by the Chromatics, which he knew because in this reality, it was 2017, not 1995, with time having been advanced for whatever reason. "Thanks," Harry couldn't help but respond. He glanced over the bar at the other side and saw a stranger who he wasn't quite where he knew him from raise a toast to Harry, before taking a sip of his glass and vanishing from view. _Farewell._ "That's a bit weird."

"What?"

"What it says," Harry said. He read aloud; "If you want to get out of here, all you have to do is sing."

"Well, if you want to get out of here that badly, my shift is almost over, I could give you a ride home," Tonks said, helpfully. "But there's nobody there at the moment. Tell you what. If you sing a song I pick, I'll give you a lift."

"I'll hold you to that," said Harry, cheerfully. "What's the song?"

"I know it's a cover… but I like this version of the song better. Do you know Joan Jett's Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"

"I know the Creedence Clearwater Revival version," said Harry. "But yeah, it's pretty much the same, right? Same lyrics?"

"Is that a yes?"

"It's a maybe," said Harry, with a smile, noticing that the karaoke scene was still free. He climbed out of his stool, and made his way across the table. Approaching the DJ, he whispered in her ear. She nodded, and moments later;

"Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together for the one, the only, Harry Potter, recent winner of the latest _20 Questions_!" exclaimed the DJ. "We've only got time for one more song Harry, so you better make it a good one."

Harry told The DJ what he wanted to play, and the lyrics flashed up. As Harry looked around the audience, he blinked back tears, seeing people that he knew in a different reality. James. Sirius. Lupin. Lily. Samuel, Harper. Fleur and Viktor were even here, as well as dozens of others. In the corner he spotted Arthur, chatting away with the young, innocent Mordred, and there was even the man in the painting whose name he never knew, in corporeal form, who may or may not have been Merlin, chatting with Arthur and Mordred like they were old friends and nothing had ever changed. For a moment, it was perfect. Everyone was here.

"Alright, you're good to go, Harry," said the DJ, as Harry looked across to see that they had all vanished, replaced by the regular attendees, some of whom overlapped, but not very many, and they were not the true versions of themselves that he knew. "Let's hit it."

The words came natural to Harry, as though he had spent his entire life singing them. His voice was hoarse from the gameshow but it didn't take him long to find his rhythm, and Harry sung, knowing that one more task was all he needed. He was going home.

" _Someone told me long ago,  
There's a calm before the storm,  
I know it's been comin' for some time  
When it's over so they say  
It'll rain a sunny day  
I know shinin' down like water_

 _I want to know  
Have you ever seen the rain?  
I want to know  
Have you ever seen the rain  
Comin' down on a sunny day?"_

 **TO BE CONCLUDED…**

And so ends _Have You Ever Seen the Rain?_ Or at least, the main section of the story. The epilogue will follow shortly after, maybe by next week at the latest, to properly wrap things up.

I noticed a few things while I was writing this fic and the first one was that I had misspelled a couple of names like Roger Davies' being Roger Davis. I'd like to say that it was a deliberate misspelling so it could be used as a hint right from the start, but it was something that I thought of later and decided to work it in anyway. bans the usage of full lyrics for a song, but I thought I'd be able to get away with a few lines both for The Ronettes' _Be My Baby_ in the last chapter and _Have You Ever Seen the Rain_? by CCR (and the Joan Jett version) in this chapter. I thought it'd be a great idea given how much music has played into this fic to have the final few words be song lyrics, and I thought eventually what better song lyrics to use than from the title that I picked for the fic?

The epilogue will wrap things up in a way that tie in the story to the flashforward shown several chapters ago with Lupin and Harper.

I know I mentioned that I'd have Harry pair up with either Tonks or Fleur at the end but unfortunately, aside from the initial _Rebel without a Cause_ homage scenes early on between Harry and Fleur and the Harry and Tonks dancing lessons, they never really went anywhere because they had far more important things to deal with in the form of Mordred. But hopefully the fact that I paired the different versions up with Fleur and Tonks at the end, whose ages were adjusted to suit whatever age Harry was in the respective realities, makes up for it.

Everyone who's reviewed this fic so far, thanks a lot. To receive almost 100 reviews is amazing, something I never thought I'd get when starting out. It's been a wild ride and your criticism, both negative and positive, has really proved a huge motivation in getting this thing done without any monthlong+ gaps between chapters or abandoning it at all. After I wrap up this chapter I plan on returning to the world of Harry Potter in another fic fairly shortly, which will feature Harry growing up as a criminal rather than a vigilante, with a different background to this one, and things will most likely play out differently. If you want to get a good idea of what the tone is going to be, watch stuff like _Peaky Blinders, Free Fire, The Warriors, Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, The Departed _and _The Untouchables,_ which have been my main sources of information, and keep an eye out on my profile when it goes live.

Next time around, I'm going to be more constrained in my plotting and will follow the Netflix method of telling something over 13 chapters rather than the (40!) that I managed to reach here. It did get a bit bloated at times, and I could have gone on for longer, but 40 seemed like a good target to finish by. I've learned lots of lessons writing this fic and hopefully the next one will be more confident. I'm yet to decide on the title properly, but the working one is _Walkin' After Midnight_ ( _Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Life of Crime_ ), a nod to Patsy Cline's _Walkin' After Midnight_ and the fantastic _Dr. Strangelove_ movie, one of my favourite films of all time.

Fanfic Recommendation of the Chapter: It's an old one-shot, but it's a good Day in the Life story, _A Breath of Fresh-Air,_ focused on Arthur Weasley's first day at the Ministry.

Film Recommendation of the Chapter: _Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets_. I know you're thinking what the hell, this film got critically slated, why are you recommending this? But I had an absolute blast with this. The cast don't have the best chemistry but improve as the film goes on and the special effects and CGI are jaw-dropping. See it on the biggest screen possible.

A final note:

I left open-ended what the real reality is, whether it's our world, or J.K. Rowling's canon Harry Potter – The Fisher King hinting at Roger Davies' name spelling suggests it's Rowling's world, but that it's open to interpretation. Harry rejected it because rather than explore the new surroundings and find himself with versions of people who he didn't know, he'd rather be stuck with those that he did, even if he knew that it may not be 'real'.

And just this once, everybody lives. (Well. Most people, the Death Eaters aren't quite so lucky).

See you one more time.


	40. I've Got Dreams to Remember

**Have You Ever Seen the Rain?**

 **Chapter Forty: I've Got Dreams to Remember**

 **I.**

 _ **2024, Several Years Later…**_

It wasn't long before Harper Potter put the pieces together and remembered that she had a third brother, who wasn't supposed to exist. She remembered asking who the shadow was in the family portraits as a child, wondering why the plates had always been late out for one more person at family meals. She remembered the incident with Mordred, and learning of how Voldemort's body was found blasted into smithereens following Samuel's victory at the Triwizard Tournament, tying with fellow champions Delacour and Krum. But why was there only three Champions? It would make sense, but Samuel was underage, a main one should have been chosen from Hogwarts, yet there had never been one at all.

It was this that had eventually drawn her to Remus Lupin, the one casualty of Mordred's short-lived reign of terror. Everyone remembered the funeral, and everyone was startled to see when he came back from the dead three days later, coughing and wheezing out of the lake to startle Fleur Delacour, who was completing her early morning run. Even though the Triwizard Tournament was over and she was due to return to her school the following day, something brought her back to the lake.

The remaining years at Hogwarts were quiet aside from the intervention of Dolores Umbridge in her fourth year. Umbridge had attempted to bring a malice regime of hatred to Hogwarts, but in a rare show of unity, when she went looking for support in Slytherin House, she found none. Even those in Slytherin had recovered from the brainwashing having learned something different and new, and even Draco Malfoy no longer taunted muggleborns in the corridor. There were rumours of a ghost that haunted you if you did, from the great beyond. It had been Harper's idea. She had chosen the name Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson's _Treasure Island_ to be the persona behind that ghost, a name that would strike fear into the hearts of purebloods who did not know that it came from a work of fiction. The existence of Silver's fake ghost marauding around treasure hunting purebloods who wronged muggleborns while looking eternally for a treasure never to be found was something that gripped the school, and transformed it completely. Even Umbridge was eventually spooked by Silver.

And eventually, she relented, scared and humiliated out of Hogwarts. The scandal was enough to force Minister Fudge to resign and in stepped the new Minister for Magic, Amelia Bones, who went in hard on any of the few remaining Death Eaters who weren't locked up in a high-tech muggle prison, and by the end of Harper's fifth year, the war had won.

It was Harper's fifth year where she experienced the ups and downs of a relationship by dating someone in her year by the name of Chris Manning, a muggle-born Hufflepuff. After all the excitement of her first four years she was ready to for the first time experience a normal year at Hogwarts, and a normal year she got. There was no Death Eaters, no Dark Lords, and certainly no hidden secrets beneath Hogwarts. There was for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, peace.

Her relationship was the biggest excitement that she got that year. Chris Mannix quickly dumped her for someone else, the exposure that came with dating the sibling to the Boy Who Won getting to his head and she moved on, after many tears and heartbreak. Eventually that summer she would run into a new love interest, a muggle with no knowledge of magic at all, Jamaal Tyler. Second time lucky seemed to be a good sign for her as It was with Jamaal she would spend the rest of her life with, and it was Jamaal who she would have her first and second children with, after leaving Hogwarts, at 27 and 30 respectively. A girl and a boy. She named the boy Harry, and the girl, Lily after her mother. Harry would go onto be sorted into Ravenclaw, much like his unknowing namesake, would become obsessed with movies and music, of the muggle variety, which was made possible by the slow and gradual acceptance of the muggle community into the magical world. He would turn to directing, and within seven years from his feature film debut, win an Oscar. Meanwhile Lily would change the world in her own way, being the first Potter sorted into Slytherin, and serve as the bridge between two worlds, the muggles and the magic, when she became Minister. It was Harry who would open the magical world to the muggles via a series of educational, feature-length documentaries, offering everyone unlimited access.

For once, humanity saw something so beautiful, and so prosperous, that it did not want to destroy. And so, a new age was born, with the Potter family shepherding their generation into a better, brighter future.

"Leave at the next stop for Miracle," the rail announcer announced over the course of the communicator. This was before her children would go onto become celebrities, before they had even finished Hogwarts, where Harper was pregnant with her third child, another girl, whose name she wasn't sure about, not having decided. "Miracle next stop. On behalf of Virgin Trains, I'd like to thank you for choosing to travel with us this afternoon, and if you are leaving at Miracle, I wish you a pleasant journey."

Harper heard none of this, because she was well and truly used to how trains worked by now. She had her music in her ears, using the same mixtape that she remembered receiving as an anonymous Christmas present all those years ago, with just one letter on it, a _H,_ presumably addressed to her. The music itself had been updated as technology had advanced and as she listened to the music, climbing out of her seat, she reflected on the songs she had added, including most notably, Wolf Alice's _Silk._

Waiting patiently for the three people in front of her to get off the train, Harper made her way through the Cornish village, which she was lucky enough to have a train journey to. It was a Request stop only naturally, but by the time she'd arrived from London it had been the start of rush-hour, and people were going home from work as it was getting late. She made her way over to the hotel that she had pre-booked, and eventually, found herself stumbling into an old-fashioned record store on the corner of the same road that her hotel was on. Walking in, she noticed that it appeared to have the same brand that sponsored Jason Samuels' muggle outlet, which had been opened a few blocks away from Diagon Alley in the muggle section. She wondered in, half expecting to find Jason there, but then knew that even he couldn't be everywhere else. But even if it wasn't the store in Diagon Alley, the memories of coming into the Diagon Alley store flashed back over here, almost overwhelming her.

"Excuse me m'am, are you alright?" A young boy in his teens wearing a staff uniform addressed her. He shot a look at her large, round belly, and Harper laughed when she worked out whether he was wondering whether or not to expect a baby delivery today.

"Not for another four weeks, don't worry, kid," Harper said, as a wave of relief washed over him. "It's Alan, isn't it? Am I getting that right?"

"Yeah, it's Alan," said Alan. "My dad thought it'd be funny to name me after the _Thunderbirds._ They're like seriously old, you know. I have three brothers and a sister and he named them Scott Jr, Virgil and John. My sister was lucky that she didn't get Tintin…"

"There's nothing wrong with Tintin," said Harper, smiling. "I'm surprised people still watch those things. They were ancient even when I was a kid."

"Blame my dad," said the blonde-haired Alan. "He's upstairs."

"Your surname wouldn't happen to be Tracey, would it?"

"No, thank god," said Alan. "So… what can I get you?"

"What do you recommend?"

"That depends," said Alan. "New or old?"

"I've always been a big fan of the classics."

"In that case… I know just the thing," said Alan, flipping through some Vinyls before eventually stumbling across something. "Blondie. _Dreaming._ Nineteen Seventy-Nine."

"I'll take it," said Harper, surprised that this was one of the few Blondie songs that she had _not_ heard before. After listening to it, she thanked the teenager, before handing over a few pounds from her wallet.

"Would you like a bag?"

"Sure, why not."

"You a local?"

"No, I'm here to see an old friend."

"Nobody ever is from around here, you know. They're all drawn here by something," said Alan. "Rumour is, Miracle is the nearest village that you can possibly get to the ruins of Camelot. Out there in The Mist somewhere is the ancient city of Arthurian legend. But nobody's ever found it. Some have gone looking. Few have returned."

"I hope that's just a story."

"All stories start from somewhere," said Alan.

"Hey, you never said what your surname was," said Harper, as she was heading out the door, having said thank you. "If it's not Tracey, what is it?"

"It's Davis-Hendrix, m'am."

"Huh. You wouldn't happen to be related to Roger Davis, would you?"

"People are always asking me that, and I've got no idea who he is," said Alan. "No, sorry. You got any idea who he is?"

"Somebody who I used to go to school with," said Harper.

"He must have made quite an impression."

"You could say that."

"Well, I'll be here if you need anymore recommendations," said Alan, with a smile. "I'll see you around, I guess."

"You too, Alan. Nice to meet you."

Harper checked herself in at the small, 3-star hotel and after having an evening meal at the local restaurant, flicked through the channels and found herself stumbling across a movie channel that contained the film _The Magnificent Seven,_ the original version, not the remake, the irony of course there being that _The Magnificent Seven_ was actually a remake itself, of _Seven Samurai,_ so it was technically a remake of a remake that she could have watched if she wanted to. But for some reason, time and time again, she came back to the movie. She was watching a scene where Calvera had just captured the Seven, a good portion of the way into the film itself, past the opening act.

Calvera was saying, _"What I don't understand is why a man like you took the job in the first place. Hmmm. Why, Huh?"_

The main protagonist, Chris, the man responsible for getting the Seven together, responded, _"I Wonder myself."_

 _"No. come on, tell me why."_

 _"It's like a fellow I used to know in El Paso._ _One day, he just took all his clothes off and jumped in a mess of cactus. I asked him that same question, "Why?"_

" _And_?" Calvera said.

" _It seemed like a good idea at the time,"_ was the reply.

Her mobile phone, the latest model, rang in her pocket just after the adverts came on shortly after this, and Harper answered the phone. "Yeah, I got here safely, how are the kids?"

"They're pretty good. Doing fine," was the reply. "I miss you."

"I've only been gone for a day," Harper said. "I'm going to try and find Lupin tomorrow. He should be around somewhere…"

"Good luck," said her husband. "And remember, stay safe, last thing we want is something to happen to you. I've been thinking of a name, by the way. Seeing as you got to pick the last two. How about… Michael. After Michael Jordan. Or Ali, after…. You know."

"I like the thinking," said Harper. "What about Henry?"

"Henry? Who's that after?"

"Thierry Henry," insisted Harper. "Aren't you always raving on about how he's the best footballer ever to have lived?"

"Yes, I am, but…"

"Well he's not French, so the name Thierry wouldn't work. But Henry on the other hand?"

"Won't it get confusing? Henry and Harry?"

"You have a point. So… Ali or Michael. It's your turn to pick. What do you want?"

"I'll get back to you on that. Love you."

"How was Harry's flight?"

"Oh, he's fine, he landed in America okay. He's going to pitch his film tomorrow, it's exciting, really. I mean, the ideas he spitballed at me sounded great. He's got a big future," said Jamaal. "Good job we made sure he did his _normal_ classes so he wouldn't have a massive education gap. I still can't believe they don't teach English at that school…"

"Thankfully Lily seems to be doing a pretty good job with her talks to try and get some muggle stuff brought in," said Harper. "So, I guess I'll speak to you tomorrow? I'm going to try and get an early night so I can catch whoever's on their paper rounds tomorrow, see if they know anyone who might know Lupin."

"Sounds like a good idea," said Jamaal. "I'll speak to you then. Love you."

"And you," said Harper, switching off the phone, allowing herself to drift off slowly to sleep by the end of the film, but not before setting her alarm clock early in the morning.

 **II.**

Later that afternoon, Harper found herself returning to the record store where Alan worked. "I'm looking for a friend," she said. "I tried asking the paper-boy to see if he's around but so far, no luck… I was told he moved here, but…"

"But you don't have an address," Alan clarified. "It's a shame they don't do the phone book anymore, have you tried Google?"

"He's still not exactly pro-internet," said Harper. "In fact, he's generally reclusive…"

"Ah, I know exactly who you're talking about. Remus Lupin, right? The Old Man who lives in the Haunted House?"

"That would be the one," said Harper, realising that his werewolf torment had been not lost him since.

"You must be the first person who's asked about him in years. I didn't think he had any family left," said Alan.

"Oh, I'm not related," said Harper. "He was a good friend of my brother's, and a teacher at some point. I've lost contact with my brother and he might know of his whereabouts…"

"Your brother?"

"Harry Potter."

"No way," said Alan. "You're his sister! That's amazing. Man. You know he's the only reason why my parents moved down here as well? They were looking to find him and say thanks for saving their lives when they were younger, some incident on a field trip I heard…"

"He'd be like that," said Harper, wondering how they remembered when she initially, along with the rest of the wizarding world, did not. "Did they have any luck?"

"No," said Alan. "Unfortunately, not. Lupin wouldn't say anything, and they eventually assumed he'd just moved here to get away. They did try going into The Mist when they were younger, but decided against it. Hey… look. Speak of the devil."

An old, grey haired, and shaggy Remus Lupin arrived at the door, his eyes widening as Harper greeted him. "Professor," said Harper, approaching Lupin. "You look awfully well… for a dead man."

"It's good to see you again, Harper. As you can see the years have not been kind to me," Lupin said. "They most certainly have been kind to you, however."

"Thank you," Harper said. "I'm presuming you know why I'm here?"

"Harry," said Lupin. "You managed to remember his existence."

"Yes."

"He saved the world from Mordred but at a grave cost," said Lupin. "If he returned… the curse would mean that the Wizarding World wouldn't prosper. And I'm afraid he is also not the man who you once knew."

"He is alive?"

"Of course," said Lupin.

"Can you take me to him?"

"That is not possible."

"I need to see him, Professor. I need to say thank you," said Harper. "Please."

Alan had by now left the main room leaving the two alone, and over the store radio, Otis Redding's _I've Got Dreams to Remember_ played. It was the first song that Alan had chosen that Harper had recognised, and the sad, slow soul music really struck Harper, almost to the point of tears. Music had that way of invoking emotion in her. "The curse…" Lupin said.

"I've been working on that," said Harper, unfolding a booklet from her bag and passing over some scribbled notes to Lupin. "I think I might have found a way to reverse it."

"Impossible. Harry has tried since the beginning. You know he woke up in the Victorian Era?" said Lupin. "He's even older than Dumbledore was when he finally passed. He hasn't got much more of his life left."

"I know," said Harper. "This was what got me started on the fact that I might have a missing sibling. I mean. Look at this. The Titanic. April Nineteen-Twelve. He's there, warning a family not to go on the ship… and then again, in America, he managed to stop an army from ransacking a town of innocents using just one word during the Civil War. The newspapers obviously don't have any pictures… but you can tell it's him. Please. I need to see him."

"I'll admit, he has a knack of getting himself into trouble," said Lupin, who eventually relented. "Fine. I know the paths through The Mist. I'll take you to him. But be warned… The Harry that you meet might not be the one that you remember."

 **III.**

Lupin led Harper down the back of his house to an abandoned boat storage dock that contained a small, one-person boat called _The Hogwarts. The Hogwarts_ was old, and in broken-down shape, a far cry from the newer boats of its time, but eventually, as the edges of The Mist swept in around them, he was able to kick it into life. _One. Two. Three._ The two departed from the small dock, heading out into the great unknown.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" said Harper, as they sailed into The Mist. "And I completely understand if you don't want to answer."

"Go on."

"Death," Harper wondered. "What's it like? You were by all accounts dead for three days. By all accounts, it's a miracle."

Lupin paused for a moment. "Do you want the truth? Or the good version, to make you feel better when you sleep."

"The truth. After all, that's where we all end up eventually. Death comes for us all, one way or another."

"The truth is that for a few seconds, I remember feeling nothing," said Lupin. "Maybe it knew I would be resurrected, maybe there really is nothing at all, but if you're expecting a Heaven and a Hell, you'll probably going to be disappointed."

"Interesting. Does The Mist ever end?"

"Not for us," said Lupin. "It is an eternal loop. Keep going long enough and you'll find yourself back where you started. Camelot is closed off, unavailable from the outside world."

"So Harry's not there."

"No."

"Then where is he?"

"Tell me. What do you know of The Sword in the Stone?"

 **IV.**

Eventually, after what seemed like an hour, Lupin pulled the boat to a halt, and the engine died. He produced two different items of Gillyweed from his pocket and handed one to Harper. "Are you sure you can swim? You should be looking after your baby, you know."

"I've put a protective shield around the child," said Harper. "He shouldn't be harmed by whatever I do and can grow naturally. There have been some advances in magic, you know, since you dropped off the face of the Earth."

"Well, I kind of liked the twentieth century," admitted Lupin. "I'm still getting used to the twenty-first."

"In that case," Harper said. "Shall we?"

They both dived into the cold water, swimming down. Harper followed Lupin below, casting a spell on her bag so that its contents wouldn't get wet, and eventually, they reached the cave where Harry had first arrived at, all those years ago, to talk to Arthur and complete his training. When they arrived, they passed through the water wall, eventually coming through on the other side.

Eventually, Harper was helped to her feet by an old, frail man. "Harry….?"

"Hey, Harper," Harry's voice croaked. He was different than Harper remembered, but that much should have been obvious. He had, after all, according to Lupin, been sent back to the Victorian Era. Back from what? She never asked. "I never thought I would see you again…. But what are you doing here? You should know it's not safe. Every second you spend near me affects you as well."

"I know, but listen," Harper said, fumbling in her bag. "I've come with a way to save you."

"Impossible," said Harry, turning his back. "You can't. I've tried since the beginning. But do you know how long it's been? Even Arthur won't talk to me anymore. And then I had to _hide_ again when I came back here when I was younger. Running into myself would have been awkward."

Harry led Harper into a room that he had conjured up to resemble something like a lecture theatre, where Harper could see Harry's frantic scrabbling of notes on a wall, like he was trying to find the perfect ingredients to stop the curse, either through science or potions. "I couldn't find it anywhere. I searched both magic and science. Look. Magic side goes nowhere. Science doesn't even know it exists."

He pulled up one of the boards that he'd been working on. "I've approached it from every possible angle," said Harry. "There's nothing. What do you think you can do?"

"Harry," scolded Harper. "Look. I'm not even going to pretend to understand what you've been through, but the fact of the matter is… you have missed something. It's staring at you, right there in the face. For all of your reliance on muggle culture you do have the tendency to still approach things from a magical perspective."

"What. And you aren't? You had a more magical upbringing."

"The difference is I've not let the lack of a proper magical upbringing define me," insisted Harper. "I've embraced it. Combined it with muggle understanding, research and technology. What you've done is just found a way for muggle technology to work alongside magic. I went one step further. I found a way to combine them both. Look. Here."

Harry glanced back at Harper, taking a look at the information she'd put down on her page. "It was hard to learn what the cure was when you don't even know what curse you're fighting in the first place. But I put the pieces together. Worked out what common effect everyone who touched the Spear of Destiny had, and eventually stumbled on a theme. Everyone in their documents, even as far back as the Roman era, writes about a shapeshifter. He goes by many different names, but the defining thing about him is that he is an honourable deceiver. Which sounds like a contradiction."

"He lied," spat Harry, full of bitterness, hurt and resentment. This was a Harry who had accepted defeat long ago, and did not want to get excited about the prospect of having his hopes raised over nothing. "He said I'd be returned to my own timeline, my own present."

"He might not have done. He might have said you'd been returning to a timeline, not necessarily your one," insisted Harper. "Look here. The people that have touched the Spear before. They've all had consequences. Lincoln, for example. Shot in the theatre by John Wilkes Booth. Grindelwald… achieved what he wanted for the total of three months, ended up dying in Azkaban. Nobody who touches the Spear ever has a happy ending. It's cursed."

"You're telling me things I already know."

"You still haven't looked at the paper," insisted Harper, as Harry glanced across at Remus, who nodded wearily at him. "Look, Harry. Do you even want to be cured? Or are you too afraid? Do you sit there and die? Come on, I need a little bit of help here."

"Harry," Lupin said. "Please. For your own sake, listen to her. She's trying to save you. I'm begging you. Don't drive Harper away like you drove me away."

Harry paused for a second, a second that felt like an age for Harper, listening in. "You have my attention."

"So, I've been thinking. Science and magic combined is always a big no-no, right? It isn't meant to work together. But look. This formula… this impossible formula. I found a way. Look."

"It's the same as this," Harry said, holding the note up to the board, crossing off stuff as he made adjustments. "Look. I made exactly the same calculations here, here and _here_ …."

"That's because you missed something," said Harper, pointing up at the board. "Look. You forgot to do this, here. Carry the one, and…"

"But even so, that still," Harry said, fumbling around with his notes, double checking them. "Jesus Christ. _Jesus Christ._ Jesus H. Christ. You're right. You're right. Harper, you _genius._ How could it have been so simple and I've just missed it like that? I spent my entire life working to something that's been solved in a matter of seconds."

"It took me a lifetime of my own to solve it," said Harper. "Every day, three hours of my life devoted to solving it. I had to cross off numbers, letters, countless of pages were wasted, but in the end, we might just have a way of sending you back in time."

"Sending me back?" Harry asked, glancing at Harper. "No. I'm too old."

"And I'm pregnant," insisted Harper, trying to come up with an excuse as to why it shouldn't be her.

"Hasn't stopped you so far," said Harry. "Look. There's something that you've noticed, haven't you? Something here, lurking in the shadows."

"The stars," noted Harper. "They've been going out for the last few decades. People are starting to wonder where they went."

"It happens in every one," said Harry. "Every reality. Apart from one."

"I'm still not convinced about this," Harper said. "Why you need to send me back in time."

"Because I've already screwed with the timeline long enough," Harry said. "I've intervened in too many places. It needs someone new if it wants to be changed forever. You need to change it. It can't be me."

"The stars… you know why they're going out, don't you?"

"I do," said Harry.

"Can you tell me?"

"It will break your heart. Mine still hasn't properly recovered, and I learnt the truth a lifetime ago."

"I need to know," said Harper. "Please."

Harry whispered something in her ear, and just the few words was enough to make Harper start to cry. She trusted Harry, took him at face value, and that was enough. That was all she needed. "All those years… none of it?"

"None of it. As hard as it is to believe."

"I should have guessed. There have always been hints, subtle ones, just out of the corner of my eye. Things resolved too perfectly. People doing extraordinary things that shouldn't be possible, running into too many people who looked like people I had seen earlier," said Harper. "Laws of physics being broken from time-to-time. We had a good run, though, didn't we? All of this."

"We did," said Harry, smiling, for the first time. "Oh yes we did."

"So how long does this world have to go until it's no more?"

"Three days," said Harry.

"Can I call my family?" Harper said, blinking away the tears.

Harry threw her his dusty old cell-phone from a bye-gone era, several models out of date. "We get signal here," he said. "Call them."

The phone weighed heavy in Harper's hand. She dialled the numbers, thinking, wondering what she'd say to her husband. "Will I meet them again? In the new reality?"

"There's no guarantee that your husband will be the same person," said Harry. "But somehow… life finds a way."

"And how will I know? That this world that we're going to is the real one?"

"It won't be," said Harry. "There is only one real world, and it's impossible to reach. I had that chance and I turned it down. I had hoped… that I could remain in this timeline with my friends, go about my business as though nothing had happened. But the curse. See, it's already affecting you now. We need to shut it down."

Harper looked at her arm, which was slowly becoming covered in pus. She nodded, instantly, knowing what needed to be done, and pulled out everything that she had brought with her on the bag. Much like the classroom-esque environment that Harry was in currently, Harper's bag was a product of magic, which made things very convenient when her youngest, Lily, wanted to hit the London shops during her teenage years. The phone rang, but by this point, Harper, Lupin and Harry were too immersed in their work to notice it. Eventually, a viable formula was created, after Harper cast a spell to numb the pain caused by the pus, following Lupin's instructions, and soon, around the front of the room, a circle was created, etched out with runes.

"It needs the two of us," said Lupin, "To send you back."

"But…"

"Please," said Lupin. "Harper. This world will be no more within a matter of days. Everything we will have done will have been meaningless. You need to change the past."

"And that will create a new fake world that will be erased in the future?"

"Not if we do it right," said Harry. "It will trick The Fisher King into thinking that the new reality is as good as the real one, and therefore he won't mess with it. It'll be buried just underneath, around the edges. Hidden from view, with time sped up to those looking in from the outside, as though only a fraction of a second were to pass. But inside of that mere fraction of a second… there is _infinite_."

"Infinite," said Harper. "I like the sound of that."

"Well, in that case," said Harry. "We'd better get moving. Let's complete the enchantment. All you have to do… is infiltrate the chamber where Mordred is located, and brush the book about forbidden rituals to the side, ever so slightly, and it will be lost forever when Arthur attacks moments later. Mordred's influence will never affect me, and I will never find out about The Fisher King, and therefore… The Fisher King will never find out about the Spear of Destiny. Nobody will. It will never be found because The Fisher King will never influence people to uncover it in the first place. It will never go to the Ministry. Voldemort will continue to believe it is a fake. The whole world will continue to believe it is a fake."

"And the book?"

"Burn it," said Harry. "But only if you can."

"How do I get back home? I didn't calculate a reverse trip."

"If you're lucky," said Harry. "Time should revert itself naturally. You'll be pulled back to a certain point, I don't know when. Maybe at Hogwarts, maybe now. Maybe nowhere at all. But as far as you and I should be concerned, the chance at a better future is better than no future at all."

Harper weighed it over for the longest of seconds, looking at her phone slightly, which although did have signal, had died, as she'd forgotten to charge it overnight, and it had already been running low on battery. ' _Stupid, stupid.'_

"If you look hard enough, you'll meet him again," said Harry, noticing Harper' gaze across. "And then you can start a whole new life together."

"Will I remember any of this?" Harper said. "Two sets of memories in one body. It'll be a little hard for me to process, especially if I wake up as a baby."

"I don't know," said Harry. "Honestly. But you're Harper Potter. You're far more than just the sister of the Boy Who Won. If anyone can ever do this… you can."

"Very well. Here goes nothing, I guess," said Harper, stepping into the circle. The runes activated almost instantly, and she was suspended in the air, held aloft by a mystical force of pulsating blue magical energy that enveloped her. She just had time to utter one more phase before she vanished from view completely, leaving Harry and Lupin behind in the fake world, never to see this version of themselves again. "May we meet again."

 **V.**

Harper Potter awoke in her bedroom wall, glancing around the room. It was covered with posters of classic movies, among them Jean-Luc Godard's _Breathless_ and Howard Hawks' _His Girl Friday._ Music was playing on her alarm clock, an echo of Max Richter's _Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now,_ which she recognised from the television show, _The Leftovers._ ' _What was I dreaming about last night?_ ' she thought, glancing at her face in the mirror after he had climbed out of her en-suite shower, and distinctively checking her arm, remembering that there had been some form of pus there. ' _Pus. Why Was I dreaming about Pus_?'

The calendar on the wall informed her that it was the year 2017, but she was in her fifth year of Hogwarts. She wasn't sure if that was entirely what it was supposed to be, she was pretty _sure_ her dream had started in 1995, jumped about a bit and then ended up in 2046, where she was in her forties, but then, that had just been a dream, after all. She noticed that she was in her fifth year, and her older brothers were in her sixth and seventh respectively, judging by the family photos in her room, which was weird, because she could have sworn her dates were wrong. But evidently enough, if this dream about her unmaking reality to save her brother was, against all odds, a real one, then she assumed that there was no fixed guarantee that the exact dates that the new history happened at would be the same as the old one.

Harper made her way downstairs in her pyjamas and dressing gown, to find that there were people already there at the table. "Hey," said Samuel, looking up at Harry. "You ready for Hogwarts, Harper? Ready for a nice long year of being able to get away with _exactly_ what you want whenever you want it?"

"Why's that?" Harper asked, glancing over at Harry, who had a mischievous-like grin on his face. She recognised that _grin,_ it was the same grin that her father made when he'd been caught doing something wrong by her mother.

"Oh, nothing," said Harry with a smile. "You're just speaking to the brand new Quidditch Captain of Ravenclaw and Head Boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"And how many arses did you have to kiss to get that?"

"Just enough," Harry said, laughing to make sure that Harper knew that he was joking. Soon, Harper and Samuel joined in with the laughter as well, and when James poked his head around the corner to see what they were laughing about, a confused look on his face greeted him.

Harper noted that unlike the dream, here, she was getting memories of Harry who had experienced a happy childhood with his parents, one growing up, in a well-loved, well cared for household. His parents treated him with the respect and care that he deserved, and there was interestingly enough, no scar on Sam's forehead, despite it cropping up so many times before in the dream. Had Tom Riddle's embracement of Voldemort been caused by the influence of Mordred? She wasn't about to go that deep into the influence of her dream to find out, but one thing was certain now, regardless of how long she had been asleep for, Harper Potter was home.

And that was all that mattered.

 **END.**

A Final Author's Note: This way, Harry gets the happy ending and upbringing with his family that he never got in the previous reality. It's not quite the "It was all a dream" copout ending because Harper, Harry and Lupin worked together to change it to get to this outcome deliberately, rather than the dream just happening at the end. I've left it open ended in regards to the pairing so you can make your mind up that Harry ended up with whoever you want him to end up.

Once again, the whole magic/science combination thing shouldn't be treated too seriously, it was largely used as a plot device to get them back in time. I wanted to make Harper matter to this storyline and thought it would be a nice way to tie things up with her going back in time. I decided not to show her infiltrating Mordred's castle because a) Harry already told the audience what would happen and b) it was part of her 'dream', meaning that she couldn't necessarily remember it.

Of course, Harry wasn't going to be sent back to his own timeline and get the happy ending that he wanted without some hard work, but I did like the idea of having a Harry living that long-wizard life through time, not being able to stick around too long to make an influence in any major events due to his curse but doing _just_ enough to save that one person from key events. Eventually age caught up with him, and even though wizards can live longer than average humans, it won't be forever.

I decided to leave the fates of Dumbledore, James and Lily, etc open for grabs. I included that bit at the beginning about Harper's family because even though the reality was going to be extinguished, until it was, it would still play out as normal, meaning that Harper's children would go onto doing those extraordinary things.

It felt only fitting that seeing as Harper is an OC, she should get to end up with an OC rather than a canon character. Also given how much _The Leftovers_ influenced this story, it felt like a good move to include plenty of call-backs to the series in the final chapter in the songs. I urge you to check out the show if you get the chance, it's one of my Top 5 of all time and it's simply incredible. And the dialogue taken from _The Magnificent Seven_ feels like a good way to sum up the thinking process that went into coming up with the idea of this fic. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Thank you to every single person who's reviewed/followed/favourited/visited this fic. It helps a lot.


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